


WCH: Something to Be

by bluegrasskitty



Series: Working Class Hero [2]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut, Found Family, Inappropriate Humor, Minor Violence, Nuka-World Amusement Park (Fallout), Other, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Soulmates, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Postnatal Anxiety, Romantic Soulmates, Unrequited Crush, autistic sosu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2020-08-31 23:14:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 173,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20248240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluegrasskitty/pseuds/bluegrasskitty
Summary: This is a story of found family, epic road trips, and the reluctant return of the Nuka Cadet.With the fall of the Institute behind them, Mac was hoping to live his new dream: a quiet, peaceful life in Sanctuary with his girl, Nora Cabot. Minutemen General, lawful good sweetheart and, to her eternal chagrin, the original Nuka Cadet.All he wanted was a home with their boys, their friends around them... maybe even start thinking about planning a wedding. Once he returns from the Capital Wasteland with Duncan, of course.He's hardly gone a minute when the news that Gunners have occupied Nuka World reaches Nora and, well, things get complicated.Note: You don't *have* to read the first part of the series, probably, but it would certainly help. ❤️





	1. Prologue: The Road Home

“Tell me, my boy, what do you think of aliens?”

Mac watched Shaun’s bright green eyes go wide and tried not to laugh. He’d made a bet, days ago, with Edward on how long the scientist would be able to hold himself back before mentioning them. As much as he didn’t relish the idea of living through yet  _ another _ lecture about extraterrestrial lifeforms, at least he’d earned twenty caps.

“Aliens, Uncle Jack?”

Nora huffed, “Oh, honestly.”

The eldest Cabot sibling was sitting on the couch, facing the boy and gesturing animatedly. “Just think of it! The universe, Shaun! The universe is  _ infinite! _ Is your mind open enough to accept the possibility that aliens may indeed exist?”

Shaun frowned thoughtfully, “Well...Mom said our planet has life because we’re in the Goldilocks zone, right? I guess other solar systems having a similar zone makes sense. So...yeah. Yeah! Aliens could  _ totally _ be real! The possibilities are endless!”

“Exactly!” A new mind successfully infected with the bug, he smiled wide and turned to Nora, “A fine boy you have here, Nora. Absolutely wonderful.”

“Thank you, Jack.” She sipped her coffee and pointedly ignored Emogene’s ‘I told you so’ look.

“Now, then! Next question!”

“Jack, that’s enough.” Mrs. Cabot gave him a stern glare before turning to Shaun. “I’m so glad you were able to come see us, dear.”

He beamed at the old bat, “I am, too, Aunt Mina! Your house is  _ so _ nice!”

“Oh, that’s very sweet of you to say. My, my, my. Such a well-mannered young man.” She glanced over at MacCready and her pointed little nose went up just a bit. “It’s been ages since your mother brought us anyone of  _ quality _ to entertain.”

Yeah, that right there was his cue. Mac stood up and wandered to the kitchen, collecting Nora’s cup and Shaun’s empty bottle of Nuka along the way. Jack and Emogene might consider him an ‘honorary Cabot’, but it had been made quite clear,  _ repeatedly, _ that Mrs. Cabot would rather adopt a rabid baby molerat than add a wastelander like him to the family’s ranks.

Which was just fine with him, all things considered. He didn’t give two shits about being a Cabot, so long as Nora still wanted to be a MacCready.

It was already March. Shaun had lived at the Castle for two full months while his mother recovered from her ordeal. The troops had celebrated her thirty-first birthday with an enthusiastic fireworks display that had about blown Mac's eardrums out.

A rare sunny break in the weather provided them with the window to begin the journey home, back to Sanctuary. Their visit at the Cabots to introduce Shaun to his cousins was supposed to have been a quick stop along the way; but unfortunately a late winter storm had blown in out of nowhere and glazed the outside world with a thick layer of ice, changing their plans a bit. They’d been stuck here a full eight days waiting for things to thaw and it was starting to wear on Mac.

For one, he’d never been happy stuck indoors like the Cabots apparently were. Everyday had been filled with boring, useless activities like charades and card games that didn’t even involve gambling. He understood their desire to get to know the clever, curious little boy and all, and even their aversion to the icy conditions outside, but he was chomping at the bit to leave already. He’d been ready since the first night, when Nora had awkwardly turned away from his attempted goodnight kiss and gently shut the door in his face.

He grumbled to himself and stomped down the stairs to the kitchen. That bullshit had been going on since Shaun had managed to pull her out of her depressive spiral. The first night, first  _ week _ of nights even, had made perfect sense. Of course she’d want the boy to stay with her, cuddled up tight together, trying to make up for all those years stolen from them.

But it hadn’t just been those nights. It had been  _ every _ night. Eventually he’d given up pretending he still shared a room with her and switched his things for Shaun’s, staying in the small, single bed the Minutemen had set up for the kid when he’d first arrived.

It wasn’t ideal, of course, but he was trying hard to be understanding. Trying  _ real _ hard. Nora was a caring, indulgent, exemplary mother. The kind he’d always wished he’d had; the kind his wife had been before she died. He kept reminding himself that Lucy would have insisted upon the same sort of arrangement if she were in Nora’s situation.

When they’d left the Castle, and Nora had talked up their home in Sanctuary, how they’d radioed Codsworth so he’d have Shaun’s room all ready for him, he’d felt hopeful he’d get his spot back in her bed.

Then that first night at the Cabots came, and Mrs. Cabot had snootily informed him at dinner that they’d ‘prepared him a room’ down the hall. Mac had hoped Nora would speak up and correct her, but she hadn’t. She’d just given him that pleading, ‘please don’t make trouble’ look and he’d rolled over.

But his patience wasn’t infinite. He could feel his temper simmering closer and closer to the surface the longer she kept him at arm’s length. He didn’t want to be that guy. Didn’t want to be the asshole who tried to come between Nora and Shaun. Mac just wanted his girl back. At least at night.

She kept shying away from him during the day, too. He’d barely even managed to get a kiss here and there since the fall of the Institute and he didn’t know why. She didn’t act like she was mad at him or anything, and there was still so much going on that he didn’t want to ask. Deacon’s recovery was slower going than originally predicted, and Curie had chosen to stay behind to supervise it. The former Institute scientists who’d picked the winning side were being shuffled all around the Commonwealth. The Railroad was still busy moving dozens of freshly liberated synths to new homes...there was a lot of balls for her to juggle right now. He got that. He really did.

Honestly, Mac felt downright selfish, like a child sulking themselves into a tantrum. What was he supposed to do? Pitch a fit and demand his spot back in her bed? Deliberately oust a traumatized child from his grieving mother’s embrace? No. That would be unthinkable. He was a grown man. He wasn’t going to compete with a little boy for attention and affection.

He could figure this out on his own. If not here, then definitely in Sanctuary.

And if he couldn’t...there was always Cait, right? She seemed to understand Nora  _ and _ was gifted with loads of common sense. Surely she’d be able to help.

“You know, if you scrub that cup any harder, you’re gonna rub a hole right through the bottom of it.”

Edward’s soft voice made him jump a little and he looked down at his hands, surprised to find that he was washing anything. “Oh...right. Right. My bad, man.”

“Don’t sweat it.” The ghoul leaned against a counter and lit a cigarette. “Shaun seems like a good kid.”

Mac dried the coffee mugs and carefully set them in the dryer rack. “Yeah, he is. Great kid. Super smart.”

He nodded thoughtfully, “Reminds me a lot of Nora when she was younger.”

That was interesting. “I hadn’t realized you knew her when she was a kid.”

Edward shook his head, “Nah. I wasn’t with the family back that far. First met her when she was eighteen, when she moved to the city. Still went by ‘Ellie Jo’ then.” He smiled a little at the memory, “Bright little thing. So excited to be out from her mother’s shadow for the first time in her life...curious about the whole world. I remember I was working on the water heater when she first arrived, and Jack must have mentioned it or something, because the next thing I knew, she was hovering behind me, asking a million questions.”

He chuckled, “Sounds about right.”

“She learned how to put in a new pressure relief valve that day, and then thanked me for the lesson.”

“That probably came in handy when she got out of the vault and wanted hot water in Sanctuary.”

He laughed, “Probably.” His pale, permanently bloodshot eyes narrowed a little, “So what’s the problem?”

Mac blinked, “What?”

“Between you and Miss Nora...used to be the two of you could hardly look at each other without blushing. Now there’s some kinda distance and you’re sleeping in separate rooms.”

He folded his arms and grumbled, “Yeah, none of that was my idea.”

“Ah.”

“She’s been...different since New Year’s, of course. I was ready for that, but...it’s like she doesn’t know how to be a mother and my...uh…”, he frowned. He never knew exactly what to call her in these kinds of conversations.

“Your girl.”

“Yeah. That.”

Edward considered this and then nodded, “Makes sense.”

He scowled, “How?”

“Well...think about it, kid. She’s a widow with a young son. What’s she supposed to say? ‘Mommy can’t cuddle tonight because my boyfriend wants to--’”

He grimaced at how selfish it sounded and raised a hand, “You don’t have to say it out loud.”

“Nora’s mind is always going to work on Old World rules, you know. The rest of us had hundreds of years to get used to how things have changed. She was just thrown into it. You gotta remember that.”

Mac rubbed his forehead. Trying to figure out how her mind worked nearly always made his hurt. “So what would it have been like for her? Before the war, I mean? If she’d been in this situation.”

“Hmm.” Edward tapped the ash off his cigarette and then rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well...she’s young for a widow. She probably would have taken the usual year of mourning --”

“A whole  _ year!?” _

“-- and then...Mrs. Cabot or Miss Emogene would have found her some nice, respectable high society boy to go on dates with. A few months into that he’d be allowed to meet Shaun. All heavily supervised, of course. Eventually they’d be married, and then he’d be the boy’s step-father and move in...or they’d move to a new house, I guess. Whatever.”

He felt a trifle lightheaded, “A whole year?”

“Hey, buck up, kid.” Edward patted his shoulder, “We don’t live in the old days anymore. You just need to remind her of that.”

Mac really, truly wanted to believe it was that simple. “You really think that’ll work?”

He grinned, “It’s already worked, hasn’t it? She’s not wearing your ring yet, but you two have been...canoodling already, haven’t you? That’s a huge step for a lady like her.”

Color flooded his face and he glowered at him, “That’s nobody’s business but ours.”

Edward snorted, “Then the two of you should work on being quieter. These old walls aren’t nearly as thick as you’d think.”

That night, after Shaun’s bath and bedtime story, Mac poked his head into their room and smiled at the picture they made. Nora had him nestled in her arms, softly singing while he slept peacefully. He liked every single thing about this situation, except his spot outside it.

He wondered if she realized that.

Mac waved his hand a little to get her attention and put a finger to his lips when she started to speak before pointing out in the hallway. She nodded and started to slide away from Shaun and he backed out, waiting respectfully outside their room, hands in his pockets and going over his speech in his head.

He’d learned the hard way that sometimes the only way to override Nora’s notions was to start talking and just keep talking until she had no choice but to agree. So it was best to come mentally prepared for a debate.

Nora stepped out into the hall and closed the door softly behind her, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Except he hadn’t touched her in ages and it was killing him like the slow poison of a radscorpion.

Her head tilted and she squinted at him a little to bring his face into focus. She’d left behind her glasses on the nightstand. “Then why’d you want to speak with me?”

Mac took a deep breath and began, “I miss you. I’ve  _ missed _ you. It’s been two months since we’ve been together and at least half of that time I haven’t even gotten to sleep next to you. I know you’ve got a lot going on, and I know you’re focused on bonding with Shaun right now and  _ I love you  _ for that. You’re a wonderful mother, baby. You really are. No one can claim otherwise. I just...I miss my girl, you know? I miss holding you every night and all the talking we used to do before we fell asleep and just...everything.” Her eyes had gone wide with shock at his speech and he dropped his, feeling like an insensitive jackass for bringing all this up. “I don’t want...I mean, I don’t expect things to go back to how they were right away, or anything, I just...it’s not going to be a  _ whole year, _ is it?”

She finally blinked, “A year?”

He nodded, “Edward said that’s how long mourning used to take.”

“Oh.” Nora winced, “I’m sorry...I’ve been neglecting you, haven’t I?”

Mac shook his head, “No! No, I don’t…” He turned a little and listened. A door had creaked open ever so slightly down the hallway. Mrs. Cabot’s door, if he were a betting man. He scowled and took her hand. “Come on. We should take this some place private.”

“Okay.”

He lead her to his own, smaller room and shut the door behind them. “Sorry, your bat-eared cousin was trying to be slick.”

“Mina?”

“Yeah.”

She sighed, “That sounds about right.”

“Anyway...uh...yeah, no, you're not neglecting me, baby. I’m a grown man. I can take care of myself.” And he had been. At least once a night for a good three weeks. Sometimes more if Nora had been strutting about, ordering Minutemen around all day in that bossy tone of hers. It never failed to make him crave her bossing him around. He was even starting to get into her stupid General's hat just through the power of association. Pavlov’s boner, or something. “I just...wondering every day if this is the night you’re going to finally let me back in...it’s kind of killing me, you know? If I just had a time frame…”

She shook her head, eyes sad. “I don’t think it works that way, honey.”

He nodded, “Yeah...yeah, you’re right. Of course you’re right. I shouldn’t have even said --”

“Shaun’s treatment is probably going to go on for a while.”

Mac stopped short at that. “His treatment?”

“For his separation anxiety.”

“His what?”

“Separation anxiety. It’s a normal thing for a child to feel when they’re very small...like, babies and toddlers. They all go through it. You know, that phase where they don’t want to let you out of their sight?”

Duncan screaming his head off for Lucy even though she’d just stepped onto the porch to shuck corn. The memory immediately popped into his head. He’d tried everything he could think of to get his then-eighteen month old son to stop freaking out, but the only thing that had stopped his fit was letting him go to his mom and cling to her leg while she worked. Mac had ended up making dinner that night while they cuddled together in a rocking chair.

“Yeah. Yeah, I know what that is.”

“Well, Shaun still has it. He has memories of when we spent time together, and memories of the times we didn’t. I’m not sure why those were left in there, but they were, and I don’t think he’s comfortable being on his own yet.”

Mac rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, when uh...well, in January, he never seemed to want to let me leave when I visited.”

“He didn’t?”

He shrugged, “It was fine. We played checkers and stuff. Read some comics.”

She studied his face and tilted her head again, “He’s already bonded to you.”

“I guess?”

Nora nodded, “Yeah...yeah, that makes sense...I don’t know why I didn’t…” She blinked and focused for a moment, “Would you mind if we both talked to Shaun tomorrow before we head out? Our escort won’t be here until around ten, so...after breakfast?”

“Sure...what are we talking about?”

She met his gaze for just a moment and then slid away, “Well...I guess that depends. I mean, I know we’d talked before, about being a family together with Duncan and all. Would you...do you think you’d still --”

“Yes. Absolutely yes.” If this was seriously the only problem to conquer between them, then there was no problem. He already loved Shaun. “You and Shaun are a package deal and I want the whole package, Nora.”

“You do?”

“Fu-heck yeah.”

She smiled at him and nodded. “Okay. Okay, then. Great.”

“Yeah. Great.”

“I um...I should probably get back to him. If he wakes up and I’m not there…”

“Yeah, totally. I get it.” When she didn’t actually move to leave, just stared down at her slippers, he stepped a bit closer. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, “I miss you, too.”

It came out like she was trying not to cry, and Mac raised her chin so she’d have to look at him. Big, shining tears were running down her cheeks and her face was all scrunched up. It was just further proof he was really a bastard deep down, but his heart leapt at her expression. She’d been as lonely as he had. “Baby...it’s alright.”

“No, it’s not! I’m selfish!”

Mac pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back, “How the heck are you selfish?”

“I was given a miracle and I’m not even appreciating it properly.”

He’d have laughed if she didn’t sound so wretched. “How are you not appreciating it?”

“Because all I can think about is how much I miss you when I should just be happy to have Shaun back.” She was openly sobbing against his neck now, drenching the collar of his shirt.

“That doesn’t make you selfish, silly. That makes you human, and that’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Well, I say it is...you can be grateful for one thing and still want another, Nora. For fu...goodness sake.”

She shook her head, “It makes me feel terrible.”

“It shouldn’t.” He pulled her back enough to smile at her splotchy face. “It really shouldn’t, baby. You’re allowed to want things.”

Nora wiped at her face with the sleeve of her robe, “It doesn’t feel like it’s allowed.”

“Well, I’m the boss right now and I say it is.”

She laughed just a little, “You still have pants on.”

“You don’t, and I can always take mine off.”

Her cheeks turned a little pink at that.  _ “Mac…” _

Oh, he’d missed scandalizing her. He chuckled at her expression and brushed his lips against hers, lightly, just testing to see if he was really still welcome there. When her eyes immediately went dark and soft, he pulled her closer and settled his mouth on hers properly, a hand sinking into the soft hair at the nape of her neck. Even through the bulky robe, he could easily feel her curves and warmth and was unable to resist grinding against her, just a little. He’d spent too many nights dreaming of her and the way she melted around him to do anything else. Nora moaned softly, her tongue slipping into his mouth, and Mac had to fight his baser instincts not to take her right there against the door.

By the time he broke off from their kiss, they were both panting slightly. She pouted at him and immediately nuzzled against his neck, nipping at the spot where she’d started this whole crazy thing only five months ago. Mac growled a little when he felt her teeth graze his skin and the arm around her waist tightened, pulling her closer even as he struggled to keep his head.

“You’re pushing it, baby.”

Nora smiled against him and left a sharp love bite there, the sensation zinging through him in a straight line to his cock. She shifted and her legs parted enough for him to slip between them and Mac abruptly decided trying to be the responsible one here was stupid. Stupid and completely pointless and he was suddenly very,  _ very _ tired of always being the grownup.

The hand in her hair tightened and he pulled her back off his neck so he could look at her, “Think you can be quiet for once?” It came out as a low, hoarse kind of whisper and she quickly nodded. He couldn’t help but smirk, “We’ll see.”

Then his lips were on hers again as he pulled her robe open, slipping his hands under it, one going to her hip, squeezing hard, holding her in place while he ground against her. His other pushed the silky nightgown aside and kneaded her breast. She whimpered softly and her arms went around his waist, keeping him close.

Her skin was still as soft and warm and perfect as he’d remembered. Better, even. No memory could possibly compare to what it actually felt like to have her in his arms again. He just didn’t have that good of an imagination.

His hand traveled down, lifting the nightgown and running along her inner thigh. He paused, just inches from her center, wondering at the heat that poured off her until a needful little sound from her throat pushed him on. His fingers gently worked her folds apart and he wasn’t surprised at all to find her already soaking. Gratified, yes, but not surprised.

Mac pushed two fingers into her slowly and chuckled when her hands came up to cling to his shoulders. His thumb barely grazed her clit and she seemed to slip down the door a bit, like her knees were already trying to give out on her. He let her lips go, and watched her face while his fingers pumped in and out of her.

“Feel good, kitten?”

Her eyes just barely opened and she nodded, whimpering.

“Hmm...good enough, or you want more?” His thumb pushed down and she gasped.

“More.”

He grinned, “That’s what I thought you’d say.”

His fingers left her suddenly and he licked them off before picking her up and carrying her to the bed, almost falling into it with her under him. She tugged at his shirt and he hurriedly ripped it off over his head, too focused on getting his pants undone to really care about any other clothes. Hell, he still had his boots on, even. Nora’s hands ran over him as she wriggled impatiently and some distant, smartass part of himself wanted to point out that he could do this a lot fucking faster if she weren’t being so damn distracting, but then his belt finally gave way and they were off, or mostly off. Out of the way, anyway.

Mac moved her nightgown up enough that he could finally see what he’d missed for months and he leaned over her, his mouth settling over her nipple and sucking at it hard while his hand tweaked the other one. He felt her arch up against him, his cock rubbing against her in a frustratingly wonderful kind of way. Her fingers slid into his hair and held him to her breast while she rocked against him.

It had been so long. He wanted to go over every inch of her with his tongue and get to know every hidden part of her body all over again, but it was hard to focus on that when her hips were already starting to move faster and that wonderful rosy flush was spreading across her chest. He abruptly abandoned her nipple and shifted up a little, hovering over her mouth again.

“I love you.”

Those emerald eyes opened and stared right into his. She stopped moving, still panting, and her arms twined around his neck as she smiled up at him. “Oh, RJ, I love you, too. I love you so much.”

He held her gaze as long as he could, savoring this rare moment of stillness, before his mouth was back on hers and his hand guided the head of his cock into her pussy. Mac relaxed against her, letting his weight do the bulk of the work as he slowly sank into her body and groaning as his length was enveloped in her scorching heat. Nora clawed at his back and wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him down faster and herself up until he bottomed out.

Mac still wanted to at least try to go slow, and kept himself as still as he could while she adjusted to him, but she was already rolling her hips against his, hard, and it broke whatever semblance of control he’d been fighting to hold onto. He braced himself on one elbow and used his other hand to grip her flank, effectively stopping her movements as he swiveled his pelvis against her.

Her head fell back and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. Mac grinned wickedly at her and pulled out almost all the way, excruciatingly slow, waiting until her little whimpers turned desperate and irresistable. Then plunged back inside, hard enough to scoot her body up the bed just a little. It caused her to buck under him and a surprised shriek that would have had them busted had she not been so breathless escaped her mouth.

His hand immediately clamped over it as he continued to ruthlessly pump into her while she steadily lost more control of herself. He nuzzled against her neck, wanting nothing more than to sink his teeth into the tender flesh and mark her as his all over again, but it wasn’t time for that yet. Too noticeable. She’d be upset later, even if she was begging for it now. So instead he tugged on her earlobe with his teeth and whispered.

“God, you feel so good, baby. So fucking good. Hot and wet, just for me. You missed this bad, didn’t you?” All she could do was whimper behind his hand and nod a little. He could already feel her tightening around him and chuckled, “You’re gonna come so hard, aren’t you? Cause you’re a  _ good _ girl and you  _ never _ touch yourself, isn’t that right? Poor baby.”

He pressed the gentlest of kisses just below her ear, “Not like me. I couldn’t help myself. Every night we were apart, I’d lay in bed and think about this. Think about how prettily you beg for my cock and how greedy you get for it. Think about all the dirty things we’ve done and everything we’re gonna do.” He paused for a moment and leaned back enough to see her rosy face, smirking. “And we’re gonna do a  _ lot, _ baby. Shit you’ve never even dreamed of.”

Her eyes got wide and he couldn’t help but laugh, even as his own orgasm built at the base of his spine. He slowed his thrusting, just a little. Just to see the satisfying way her face shifted from wanton to desperate. Mac dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose and smiled at her shiver. She was impossibly tight and absolutely dripping wet. He could feel her fluids slowly running down his balls, and he moved his hips in a wide circle, his smile growing at the obscenely delicious sound it made.

“Damn, baby. You hear that?” Her cheeks went a shade more pink and he chuckled, nibbling at her ear again. “That’s the sound of a happy little pussy, isn’t it?” Mac could actually feel her face grow hotter under his hand and he moved it away so he could see just how blushy she could get.

Nora pouted up at him, face almost as red as a tato. “RJ, please…”

He pouted back for a second before grinning, “Sorry. Was that too far, sweetheart?”

To his great surprise, a little naughty smile appeared. “No.”

His eyebrow rose, “No?”

“No, just... _ focus.” _ She raised up to catch his mouth and rolled her hips against his and a low chuckle rumbled through his chest.

Mac slid his arms under her and wrapped them around her waist and shoulder, anchoring her with his own weight so she couldn't slide away from him and finally gave in. Finally let go and fell into the spiraling feeling building in his stomach, the way she undulated under him, the sharp sting of her teeth in his lower lip just before she came. He happily swallowed her cries, grunting with the effort of keeping himself quiet as her pussy rippled around him and triggered his own release. The intense pressure and gentle pull of her body when he kept moving, like it was trying to keep him as deep inside as possible, was indescribably satisfying. Nothing could possibly compare.

He finally stopped thrusting, pushing with his feet against the foot of the bed while his arms pulled her down hard, trying to impale her even more than he already had and feeling an odd frustration when their bodies wouldn’t give way and allow it to happen. He felt like he wanted to bury himself in her until they were one and the same, so this ecstasy would be all they ever experienced.

Nora seemed to want the same thing, wiggling down on his length while her legs crushed his body against hers. They were wrapped so tightly around each other that Mac could barely even breathe, and it still wasn’t enough. It would probably never be enough, but hey, a lifetime chasing that feeling sounded pretty fucking fantastic to him at this point.

Their kiss finally ended and he wasn’t the least bit surprised to see the small smear of blood on her lips. She probably hadn’t even realized what she was doing in the moment, and given all the times he’d left bruises on her, she was certainly entitled to at least a little of his own blood by now.

Her eyes finally opened and she smiled at him until it turned into a confused sort of frown, “Your lip is swollen.”

“Hmm.” He snuggled against her and worked on convincing his arms to release their death grip.

“When did that happen?”

Mac snorted a little, “Probably around the time when your pussy was trying to suck the soul right out of my body.”

She slapped his shoulder with her hand,  _ “Mac!” _

He laughed at the indignation. “What? It was!”

“But you don’t have to  _ say _ it!”

God, he’d really missed this. He nibbled at her neck, “I want more.” He really, really did. His cock was just as hard now as it had been before he came. This was supposed to have been a quick way to let the pressure off, but if anything, it had made it worse. He wanted to do this until the sun came up, at least.

She breathed in his ear, “I know.”

“But we can’t.”

“Yeah.”

He sighed heavily but slid out of her body, making a face as the room’s cool air hit him and his entire being immediately missed her warmth. Mac sat back and stared down at her, smiling a little at how thoroughly ravaged she looked. Her nipples were still hard, still clearly begging for attention. Her hair was messy and her cheeks flushed. He ghosted a hand along her body and gently traced his fingers along her curves before ruffling the soft curls at the apex of her thighs. Her pussy was still a bright, glowing pink beneath and he felt an irrational, powerful sense of ownership and pride at the sight of his come slowly trickling out.

Nora watched him watching her and her breathing began to change; started to pick up again instead of cooling off. “Mac?”

His eyes flicked up to hers and he knew with absolute certainty that if he wanted, he could take her again. Over and over and over, as much as wanted. That staggering focus, what she called a hyperfixation, that she had about him and the pleasure they found together had never really gone away. He hoped it never would.

But he also knew there was a little boy down the hall who would be very sad if his mother didn’t return to him. That sliced right through the lust still fogging his mind and he smiled gently at her, moving his hand to a more neutral location and squeezing her knee. “You should get cleaned up before you head to bed, baby.”

Her eyes cleared just a little and she nodded, “Okay.”

Mac moved off the bed altogether, stepping back away from her as he hitched his pants back up. He wanted to be a gentleman and help her get put back together and all, but he couldn’t trust that his self-control would be enough while they both so clearly wanted to do the exact opposite of what they needed to do. Sometimes, the best thing to do in the face of ultimate temptation was to just stay the hell away from it.

Nora sat up and got off the bed, smoothing her nightgown back down and closing her rope, cinching the tie tight before she tried to finger comb her hair. She made a face at him as she worked through the tangles, “Why is it my hair always ends up a rat’s nest whenever we’re together?”

He smirked at her, “That’s just how you know it was good. It’s supposed to happen.”

She huffed a little, “I’m pretty sure it’s not.”

“Can you find your room by yourself without your glasses on?”

Her eyes rolled a little, “I can manage. I’m not  _ completely _ blind, you know.”

“M’hmm.” He stepped just close enough to press a soft kiss to her lips. “Goodnight, Nora.”

The sass melted right back out of her and she smiled dreamily at him, “Goodnight, Mac.”

“I’ll see you at breakfast.”

“Okay. See you.” She slipped out of his room, heading for the bathroom. Mac stared at the closed door and allowed hope to take root in his chest once again.

The next morning, he was the first to arrive at the table. He’d waited almost an hour after Nora had left to go take his own shower, just to be safe. Trying to sleep with her scent on him would result in nothing but ruined sheets. He’d made the fatal error of thinking about that time they’d showered together, the way the steam had swirled around them and how delicious and pink her skin had turned under the hot water. That alone had him wasting a good two handfuls of the Cabots’ precious cream rinse, and  _ not _ on his hair.

By the time he actually got to bed, he felt absurdly awake for midnight. He could still smell sex in his room and it drove him crazy enough that he didn’t actually drift off for almost two hours, sleeping fitfully until his eyes popped open for good at around five. He still felt wired for sound and had straightened his room quickly after getting dressed, stripping the bed and dropping everything into the laundry chute in the hall before finally heading downstairs.

Edward had shown up shortly after, took one look at him and grinned from ear to ear for a second before resuming his regular unflappable mien, casually asking if he’d like coffee, and pretending like he didn’t know exactly what had happened.

Mac tried to glower at him but he was still too happy from the night before to manage anything but a slightly grumpy look.

Slowly but surely, the Cabots trickled in. First Jack, excited as ever to have a captive audience. Emogene followed, a cigarette already in her mouth. She took one of Edward’s danishes off the buffet, grabbed a cup of coffee and retreated back upstairs, muttering about the obnoxiousness of early birds.

Shaun bounced in shortly after, chirping ‘good morning’ at everyone before sitting next to Jack and immediately asking him a thousand questions about what mysteries the universe could hold. Mac smirked behind his mug at Jack’s expression. About damn time he knew what it felt like to be bombarded by conversation.

Nora followed at a more sedate pace, yawning behind her hand as she made her way to the coffee. Mac watched her sit across from him and take a few sips, cradling her mug like it held the secrets of the universe and slowly waking enough to finally notice his staring.

She blinked owlishly a few times, eyes a little bleary before they suddenly snapped into focus, and promptly blushed bright pink. “Good morning, Mac.” It was softly muttered and her eyes darted away from his right after she said it.

Mac grinned at her, “Yeah,  _ great _ morning, actually.” When the tips of her ears turned pink, too, he chuckled and turned his focus back to his own coffee. Guess he hadn’t been the only one wound up after their little encounter.

They ate a hearty breakfast, Nora having to remind Shaun almost constantly to actually take a bite between his questions. Their walk to Sanctuary, escorted by Minutemen, Railroad heavies and some of Goodneighbor’s finest, would take a good eight hours from here. Ten, probably, given the fact that Shaun had never been on a hike like that in his life. The kid needed all the protein he could get before they left.

Finally, Edward cleared the dishes and Mrs. Cabot and Jack wandered away to do their usual early morning activities. Nora looked at Mac, who nodded back, and she just managed to catch Shaun before he slipped away, too.

“Wait, honey. Mac and I need to speak with you.”

He’d been just leaving his chair and froze, staring at them both with big eyes. “Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry.”

Mac caught the flash of anger that immediately bloomed in Nora’s eyes and winced internally. He remembered her smoldering rage when she’d explained how Shaun had been scared to get in trouble in the Institute over a stupid radio all too well. He shook his head, “No, of course not, kiddo.”

“Oh.” He plopped back down in his chair, “What’s up?”

Nora took a deep breath and smiled at him, “Well, sweetheart, we just wanted to talk with you a little about how life is going to be in Sanctuary.”

Shaun nodded, “I know! We live in a blue house and have a dog named Dogmeat and a robot named Codsworth and the school’s right across the street! I remembered.”

“That’s right. Sanctuary is a wonderful place to live and we really think you’re going to love it there, right, Mac?”

“Yup. Sanctuary’s a great town.”

“And you remember what I told you, right? About Duncan?”

He lit up, “Yeah! Uncle Mac’s little boy! He’s gonna live there, too! He’s turning five on the seventh, right? I wanted to make him something but I dunno what yet...I mean, I know he won’t actually  _ be there _ when we get there or anything, but still. I thought maybe I could build him something neat...you said I was pretty good at tinkering.”

Nora ran a hand over his head and smoothed his hair down, or tried to, anyway. “Yes, you are, and that’s very sweet of you, honey. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it once he gets here.” She took his hand in hers and held it, “The thing is...well, how would you feel if Duncan lived with us?”

His mouth dropped open, “With  _ us? _ Like, in our  _ house?” _

“Yes.”

“For real?”

“Yes.”

“For  _ really _ real?”

Nora laughed, “For really real.”

“That’d be great! He can share my room!  _ Oh! _ It’ll be like having a brother almost, won’t it? I’ve never had one of those!”

Mac chuckled, “Neither has he.”

Shaun grinned at him, “I can teach him stuff, too! Like...numbers and things. I’m pretty good at math.”

“That’d be great, because I am not.”

He laughed and then blinked, suddenly very concerned. “Wait...Uncle Mac, where will you live?” His thumb was rubbing against his mother’s hand and Mac smiled a little. It was uncanny how alike they were.

His eyes met Nora’s again and then returned to the boy, “Well, that was the other part of what we wanted to talk to you about.”

Nora was clearly nervous, looking more worried here at the dinner table than she ever had on any battlefield. She squeezed his hand and opened her mouth to speak when he beat her to it.

_ “Oh! _ You should just live with us! I mean, I’ll have my own bed and everything, so it’ll be cool.”

She stared at him in shock, “Y-you’d be okay with that?”

His head tilted, “Why wouldn’t I be okay with it? You guys are in love or whatever, right?”

Mac’s brow furrowed. There was no way in hell this kid had that level of perception given the friendly but distant way Nora had treated him. “How...uh, how’d you find out about that, kiddo?”

He smiled brightly, “Uncle Deacon told me.” He turned to Nora and completely missed the way Mac’s face had suddenly darkened, “I think it’s _so neat_ how Uncle Mac saved your life from that super huge mutated radroach and then you fell in love right there on the spot! That was _so brave!_ It’s like something out of a movie, isn’t it? Like he was your knight in shining armor or something!” When she just stared at him with her mouth open, he continued. “And maybe someday you guys will get married! Uncle Deacon said that’s what sometimes happens when you fall in love, and then we’ll be a family for _real_ and Duncan will be my brother _forever_ and _oh!_ _Oh! _Maybe you guys can have even _more_ kids and then I’ll have a _bunch_ of brothers and sisters!”

The gears spinning in her brain finally slowed down enough to respond, “You’d want all that?”

“Yeah! Oh…”, he leaned toward her a little. “Also, can we get a cat? I made friends with Captain Whiskers back at the Castle and I just think cats are so neat! Don’t you think they’re neat? Uncle Deacon says they domesticated themselves. Isn’t that  _ so _ smart? We could have one and name it something really cool, like Kepler or Copernicus!”

She still looked shell-shocked, but nodded, “O-okay.”

“Okay?  _ Really! _ That’s great!” He bounced up and buzzed her cheek, “I’m gonna go see what Aunt Emmy is up to. She’s so great with computers, did you know?”   


“Yes. Yes, I did...um, that’s fine, just...knock first.”

“Okay, Mom!” Shaun skipped out of the room.

Mac and Nora sat in silence for a moment, befuddlement on her side and nothing but a maelstrom of aggravation on his.

That bastard. That slippery, forked tongue, slimy, rat  _ bastard. _

Nora tapped her thumb on the table for a bit and finally spoke, “Well...I guess that’s one problem solved.”

_ “Solved?! _ There was never a problem to begin with!” He hissed it at her before exploding out of his chair, pacing irritably.

“Honey…”

“Don’t you ‘honey’ me! Why didn’t he tell us he’d already told Shaun sh-stuff! Huh? Because he’s an as-_jerk!_ _That’s_ why!”

“Maybe he thought he was helping?”

“Helping my a-butt, Nora! If he’d been  _ helping, _ he would have at least said something to  _ you!” _ He stopped pacing and stood with his hands on his hips, “He was just fu-messing with us!”

She sighed and couldn’t meet his gaze, “Maybe.”

“Maybe nothing!”

“He’s been...upset lately. His recovery has been painful and...Dez asked him to step down as spymaster until he’s healed.” She shook her head, “He’s been involved with the Railroad longer than any of them. It’s his whole life...and he wasn’t very happy when I insisted X6 stay with him until he comes home, either. I just worry about him being so vulnerable right now. This was probably just his way of...lashing out, or something. We should try to be understanding.”

“I’ll understand my foot up his ass!”   


“Mac!  _ Language!” _ She huffed, “And that doesn’t even make sense, honey.”

He folded his arms and glowered at the world, “So?”

Her eyes traveled over him and she smiled, that same adorably naughty smile from the night before, even as her cheeks flushed. “So...we’ll be home tonight.” 

That smile wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t. It had the power to knock the anger right out of him and he suddenly didn’t even  _ care _ how Shaun had found out, all he cared about was finally getting to be next to her again. Especially with that promising, heated look in her eyes. Oh, man. Powerful stuff right there.

Mac found himself grinning back at her, “Heck yeah, we will.”


	2. Home, Sweet Home

“...and that was the  _ second _ time I had to shank some asshole for your mama.”

“John, language, honey.”

“Sorry, Sunshine.”

Mac shook his head, “Just how many people did you end up stabbing for her anyway?”

Hancock grinned at him, “I dunno...faces all start to run together after a while.” He glanced over his shoulder, trying to get a look at the boy he was carrying, “He out?”

Shaun was busy drooling onto the mayor’s red frock coat as they walked through the final few miles of their journey back to Sanctuary. Mac pulled the blanket up over the boy a little more and nodded, “Yeah, he’s out.”

“Good. I was running out of PG material.”

“I think you and and the Motion Picture Association must have very different ideas about what PG means.”

He chuckled, “It means ‘Parental Guidance’, doesn’t it? I figure if I ever stepped over the line, you’d let me know.”

“Well, that’s true.” Nora smiled, “Thank you for carrying him all this way. He isn’t too heavy, is he?”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Any son of yours is a son of mine, love. Anyway, this is the best way to keep him warm, right?”

They’d walked almost straight through from Cabot House, only pausing for meals and the occasional bathroom break. When they’d stopped at Starlight for dinner around sunset, Mac had suggested that maybe they should just stay the night. The sun had already been slipping below the horizon, taking all its warmth with it, leaving nothing but the cold early spring winds.

Shaun had been far too excited for that, though. As interesting as all the old drive-in movie equipment was, he was  _ dying _ to meet Codsworth and Dogmeat. After thirty minutes of begging and puppy dog eyes, the adults finally admitted defeat and they pushed on. He had made it almost halfway to Concord when he’d finally gotten tired enough start tripping over his own feet, and Hancock had offered to piggyback him the rest of the way.

She shivered a bit, “Also true. It’s chilly tonight.”

“I’m only sorry I can’t carry you both, sweetheart.”

Mac fought against the temptation to roll his eyes and kept them scanning the buildings around them. Escort of twenty armed men or not, he wasn’t letting his guard down until his family was safe within the boundaries of Sanctuary. “You’d have to be twice your size for that.”

Hancock smirked at him, “I’ve risen to the occasion before.”

Nora immediately looked confused and he laughed despite his best efforts to keep a straight face. “What does that mean?”

“Uh…”, the men exchanged a look and Mac shrugged, “It just means Hancock has uh...more potential for...helping than you’d think.”

“Oh.” Her head tilted a little, “I thought maybe you two were making a joke about penis sizes.”

The men both burst out laughing again and this time, Hancock recovered first, feigning innocence, “Where’d you get an idea like that, sweetheart?”

“Cait and Emmy both say that’s just what men do when they’re together. They make penis jokes and tell tall tales of their sexual escapades to try and outdo each other. Like apes thumping their chests in the jungle to let the other apes know they’re the alpha.”

Mac wanted to argue with that, but couldn’t, so he just shook his head and changed the subject. “Big hill coming up. You sure you can make it, brother?”

He shrugged, “Sure. Ghouls are stronger than regular humans, remember? Kid doesn’t weigh a thing. Barely feel him back there at all.”

Nora smiled and watched Shaun sleeping peacefully for a moment, “I’m so glad you were able to come with us. He was  _ so _ excited when I told him you’d be meeting us at Bunker Hill.”

“Wouldn’t have missed this little road trip for the world. I dunno that we needed this big of an escort though.” He glanced around at the Minutemen clustered around them. “Makes it a little uh...crowded.”

Mac certainly agreed with that. If he got saluted and called ‘sir’ one more time today, he’d lose his mind. “At least the Railroad stopped once we got out of the city.” Although Shaun’s newly acquired ‘Auntie' Glory had put up quite the fight over it. She’d taken one look at the young synth and immediately declared him ‘the coolest little cat in the Commonwealth’. He was pretty sure that, if they’d let her, she’d have come with them all the way to Sanctuary and then never left.

“True.”

She nodded, “It probably was excessive, I know, but so many people offered to help and I didn’t want to turn them down and then be sorry for it later...but it wasn’t bad at all. I kind of feel like a worrywart now.”

He’d thought they’d have a hell of a time, too, but this had been a walk in the park compared to most of his experience crisscrossing the Commonwealth with her. “I’m just surprised the Brotherhood didn’t show up. Not that I’m complaining, or anything.”

They’d been radioing the Castle almost every day, asking for ‘status reports’ on Nora’s condition, offering to ship in their own medical teams and had once strongly suggested medevac'ing her to the Prydwen for ‘proper’ treatment.

Curie had taken that particular proposal  _ extremely _ personally and was incandescent with rage for weeks over it, ranting nonstop in French to anyone who was unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity. Although almost no one actually knew what she was saying, her tone and the angry, bristly way she’d stomped around the Castle left no room for doubt that she wasn’t exactly singing the Brotherhood’s praises. She had talked so fast that even Deacon, who somehow knew almost as much French as Nora did, could only make out a creative, if typically nonsensical, insult here and there.

Mac’s favorite had been her declaring them to all be  _ ‘bête comme ses pieds’, _ which Deacon said meant they were ‘as stupid as feet’. He didn’t know why it was so fucking hilarious, but it was.

Even Preston Garvey, a living legend for his unbridled patience and strict adherence to the Minutemen Code of Honor, had been growing frustrated with them and their thinly veiled insinuations that the Minutemen would somehow bungle their General’s recovery. His last few communications with them had been terse, at best, and he’d finally let Ronnie take the responsibility of handling all official communications between the two factions; knowing damn good and well that she’d tear them a new asshole the next time they tried to make contact. Mac personally thought it was one of the best decisions he’d ever seen the lieutenant make. It was at least the funniest.

“I’m almost positive they were behind us not encountering anything bigger than a feral dog here and there, actually.”

“You think?”

“I heard the sound of laserfire in the distance quite a few times. Too many for just their regular patrols.”

“Huh.”

Hancock glowered, “Assholes don’t know how to take no for an answer.”

Nora chuckled, “Knowing Arthur, he probably sees that as a strength, you know.”

“Idiot.”

The Red Rocket just outside of Sanctuary finally came into view and Dogmeat shot out from it, barking happily until Nora shushed him. He settled for prancing around the group, and eventually zeroed in on Shaun, sniffing his shoes as they dangled around Hancock’s sides.

“What do you think, Dogmeat? He’s a pretty good boy, too, right?”

He jumped a bit more, licking the back of her hand before taking off towards Sanctuary, howling into the night.

She wiped it off on her pants and laughed, “Well, I guess that’s a yes.”

By the time they actually reached the Old North Bridge, a whole crowd was waiting on the other side. Despite the late hour, it looked like at least half the town had showed up, and cheered as they came into view. Marcy’s sharp eyes caught Shaun sleeping and she immediately hissed at everyone to be quiet, their raucous shouts instantly turning into quiet applause. Mac grinned and waved at the group.

Felt good to be home.

For possibly the first time ever, Nora didn’t immediately run off for the cemetery. She stayed with them all the way into her home, heading inside with Hancock to get Shaun settled while Mac got stuck outside shaking hands and answering questions. It was irritating, and had he been mayor, he might have employed some of his old, tried and true methods for crowd dispersal, but this was her town, so he just kept smiling and accepting congratulations on her behalf. Cait eventually stepped in and offered everyone free drinks to get them to finally leave him alone before his temper finally snapped. He definitely owed her for that one.

Once inside, he gave Codsworth a nod and went to toss his stuff in the bedroom. The Mister Handy and Nora were talking quietly in the kitchen. Hancock was already settled on the couch with his feet up, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

Bags successfully dropped, he slid open Shaun’s door an inch to check on him. Codsworth had certainly been busy in the week since they’d radioed that his long lost charge would be returning. A new, sturdy bed had been set up in the corner, layered in at least three different quilts and afghans. There was a brightly colored, braided rug on the floor, a freshly painted dresser, bookshelf and desk. Even a giant bin full of every kind of toy imaginable. He mentally rearranged the room in his head and figured Duncan  _ might _ be able to actually fit in here if they took out some of the model train sets. Maybe.

The kid was already snuggled up in bed, a teddy bear tucked in next to him. Nora had left a lamp on it’s lowest setting on the desk and it bathed the room in a soft, warm glow. He watched him sleep for a minute and smiled at how peaceful the whole scene was.

When awake, Shaun barely stopped moving. Ever. Everything from his face down to his toes in almost constant motion. Sometimes, when he got really excited, he’d even burst out into a little dance or flap his hands around, or sometimes sing the same few lines to a song over and over. Nora said it was called ‘stimming’, a unconscious habit of repetitive movement that sometimes accompanied autism, and that it was fine so long as he didn’t hurt himself.

Her own stimming had been forcibly curtailed when she was a child by her mother. The natural boisterous gestures were considered undesirable in a young lady back then. Nora had told him about getting the back of her hands smacked for fidgeting, all the times the piano had been locked after she’d played the same four bars of a Mozart concerto too many times. The days of living in silence when her mother would accuse her of not properly paying attention and then deliberately ignore her so she could ‘see how it felt’.

She’d never been able to completely stop, she just became more adept at hiding it; willing her body to fold the impulse in on itself until all that remained was her occasional finger tapping and that permanent aura of restlessness. He had a pretty good idea that’s where a lot of her anxiety came from, too. She was always so wound up and overly conscious of how her actions were affecting the people around her that she often imagined offenses that weren’t even there. Her irritating habit of going quiet and reclusive, or simply running away altogether, when she needed help most made perfect sense to him now. The hollow, haunted look in her eyes as she’d explained the unhappy reality of her childhood that had been hidden behind the glossy, perfect exterior her mother had forced her to portray had made him grit his teeth. He’d sworn to himself, right then and there, to never  _ ever _ let himself get annoyed with the boy over something so minor.

If the kid wanted to tap a hole right through the floor, that was fine by Mac.

He slid the door shut again and came back into the main part of the house, accepting a beer from Codsworth before flopping down on the couch with a groan.

“Oh, my. Are you quite alright, Mister MacCready?”

Damn robot was never going to let go of that ‘mister’ bullshit. “Yeah, I forgot how tense you can get escorting a kid is all. It’s completely different than just walking around with regular people.” He twisted a little to pop his back before downing half the bottle, breathing a little easier once the warmth of it hit his stomach.

Nora, cheeks oddly flushed, nodded from her seat by the fire. “It’s certainly very stressful. I promised him we’d go visit Diamond City soon, but...now I don’t know. I felt downright jittery out there with him.” She held up a hand and he could see the slight tremor in it from across the room. “See? I’m still shaky.”

_ “Oh! _ Mum! Is there anything I can do?”

She waved him off, “It’s fine, honey.”

Hancock frowned, “Adrenaline?”

“I think so.”

He frowned, too. She was so good at pretending to always be okay, especially in front of her son. He hadn’t even noticed she’d been more keyed up than usual. “Maybe we can bring Diamond City to him. Nick could escort Piper and Nat here. He’s used to leading families through the city.”

“I’d hate to put them to all that trouble.”

“Nicky wouldn’t see that as trouble, sweetheart. I’m sure he’d love to visit.”

“Maybe.”

Mac shrugged, “We don’t have to plan anything right away. He’ll have plenty of things to get into around here to keep him occupied. Let’s just tell him we want to wait to take Duncan, too.”

“Oh! That’s a good idea.”

“Man, I don’t envy you  _ that _ trip.” The ghoul finished his whiskey and held up his glass, nodding in thanks to Codsworth when he silently took it back to the kitchen. “Capitol Wasteland to here with a five year old in tow?  _ Shit.” _

He laughed, “Yeah, it’s only going to take a couple of months to get back, but it’s probably going to age me a couple of decades. Minimum.”

“I’m excited to meet the little squirt, though. Feel like I know him already with all the stories you’ve told.”

“I told you stories about Duncan?” His memories of all those drunken nights spent in the company of Goodneighbor’s mayor were hazy at best.

Hancock grinned, “Pillow talk.”

Nora went slightly pinker at that. “I’m excited, too. I really hope he likes it here.”

Mac stopped scowling at Hancock long enough to smile at her, “I told you before. He’s gonna love it.”

She smiled back and then yawned, “Well, I hate to say it, but I think I need to take a shower and get to bed. I’m exhausted...and my feet are  _ definitely _ exhausted.”

The ghoul chuckled, “Already on that parenting schedule, huh? Soon you’ll be in bed by eight.”

“Hardly. Then we’d never see each other.” She walked over and kissed his cheek and then Mac’s. “Goodnight.”

“Night, sweetheart.”

“Save me some hot water.”

“Okay.”

They watched her go and Hancock sighed, “Never get tired of that view.”

Mac frowned at him a little, “You know you can’t say stuff like that in front of Shaun, right?”

He scoffed, “Of course. I may not be famous for it, but I do know how to behave myself...when I wanna.”

“M’hmm.”

“I’m glad she’s doing better. Got kinda worried there for a minute.”

“Yeah, we all were.”

“And Deacon’s still outta commission, huh?”

Mac drained his beer and set it aside. “Yeah...he’s not too happy about it, either. Curie called him her ‘least favorite favorite patient’.”

“Oh, I bet he ain’t.” He shook his head, “It’s gotta be infuriating. He was there from the jump and then he misses out on all the glory at the end. Didn’t even get to see her hit the button. Shame.” His tone was just this side of smug.

Actually,  _ he’d _ hit the button, but no one besides him and Nora ever needed to know that. “I’m not sure that’s really why he’s pissed.”

Hancock raised an eyebrow at him, “You’d be surprised. He’s always had this...thing for Sunshine. I don’t even know what to call it. Not love, really. I mean, that’s what I thought it was at first. He followed her everywhere, always seemed to know every little thing she did, always seemed real possessive...but it’s got a different feel to it.”

“He told me she’s like the little sister he never knew he wanted.”

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully, “Nah...that ain’t it, either. It’s like...he always had an agenda with her, you know? Didn’t ever feel nefarious, or I’d have put a stop to it myself, but like...I dunno. I always felt like he was trying to push her along, get her ready for something, but I never knew what.”

Mac almost laughed. He was starting to sound like another conspiracy nut like Jack. “Yeah, probably the fight with the Institute. You remember that happening, right?”

“I was there, wasn’t I?” He harrumphed a little. “I just...I dunno. There’s something a little shifty happening there. You know, he’s the one who first brought her to Goodneighbor. I ever tell you that?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“He told her she’d be safe there, and to wait for him. Then he shoved her through the gate. Guess he had some kinda dangerous Railroad business she wasn’t ready for yet.” His eyes went a little unfocused as he remembered. “She still had that vault suit on, but was wearing one of those assault masks, so I didn’t really get a good look at her. Fahr said Finn was going to harass her though, and I didn’t want that. She was new, and anybody new in Goodneighbor gets the ol’ welcome wagon routine. Plus, you know how vaulties are. Most of ‘em end up smeared all over the pavement a week out.”

“Yeah, most of ‘em.” Mac still kinda wished that had happened to the so-called living legend (he’d always thought ‘idiot’ was a better fit) from vault 101. Guy was fine in small doses, usually, but anything longer than five minutes and he wanted to punch his lights out. Good in a fight, though.

“So the shit with Finn goes down. She’s standing there with her dog, tapping her hand against her leg...I thought maybe she’d come needing a fix. Then I introduced myself and good God. That  _ voice. _ I dunno how she makes words feel like warm honey, but she does.”

“She’s from Norfolk, in Virginia. Says everyone down there talks like that.”

“Yeah, I know...anyway, that, and the way her suit fit her...I was interested. She asked if there was a place she could stay, so I directed her to the Rex. Told her to tell Clair I’d sent her so she’d set her up right.” He smiled a little, “I managed to wait almost a whole hour before I went to call on her. Fahr made fun of me for it. Said I was a greedy old man for trying to poach another playmate when I already had a roomful.” His tilted his head towards Mac, “I’m pretty sure you were still in my bed at the time, kiddo.”

He shrugged, “Maybe.”

“Anyway...I go on up, ready to sweep her off her feet and all that. Just like I’d done a million times before. No big deal. I knock on the door and she answered, and...I remember staring at that face for the first time and trying to figure out what the hell I’d taken to make me see an angel.”

Mac rolled his eyes a little. “Uh-huh.”

“Then she introduced herself again. ‘Nora Cabot, of the Norfolk Cabots’...like I was supposed to know what the hell that meant. Once I recovered, I started trying to lay down my best moves, you know? Who wouldn’t, right? And she just smiled at me, nodded along and completely missed every damn pass I made at her.”

He chuckled, “I bet that was new.”

“Shit.” Hancock laughed, “I’d never met anyone who seemed so sharp but so…”, he waved his hand around for a second, trying to think of the word. “So  _ naive. _ I told her I liked how her suit fit her, she told me they were one size fits all. I said she was the prettiest little thing I’d ever seen come through my gate, she just said thank you and told me I was nice to say so. That Goodneighbor seemed like a real hospitable place and to not worry that her impression of the town had been messed up by Finn’s actions. I asked her out for a drink and she said she didn’t want to bother me. That I must be a terribly busy man being Mayor and all.” He shook his head, “It was like trying to flirt with a rock...and, to be perfectly honest, I was about to just cut the bullshit and ask her point blank if she’d like to come home with me for the night, when she finally looked me square in the eyes and said she was so glad I’d come to see her. That her friend, Deacon, had said she could trust me to keep her safe while he was gone.”

That was surprisingly high praise from a man like him. “Huh.”

“It blew me away. I couldn’t believe it. She said that, lookin’ at me like I was some kinda hero or somethin’, and...I dunno. Something changed in my brain. Like she was a chem I’d never taken before. I’d gone up there with every intention of...well, you know, and suddenly all I wanted to do was put her in my pocket and keep her safe.  _ Me. _ It was nuts...you should’ve seen my face after I found out she’d had a husband and a kid and all. Swear to God my first thought was ‘immaculate conception’. The idea of her actually making a baby with some lucky bastard just broke my fuckin’ brain. Took almost a  _ week _ to get over.”

Mac laughed, “He totally set you up.”

“Damn straight, he did.” Hancock glowered, “That asshole sent a lamb like that walking into my town and told her the big bad wolf would keep her little fluffy butt safe and she  _ believed _ him. One hundred percent. Never even questioned it. He  _ knew. _ He somehow knew that I’d get knocked off my feet by those big eyes of hers staring at me like I was this great protector. Some amazing, virtuous leader who’d take care of her because that’s just what I did. He literally said that to her. ‘Hancock will take care of you. He takes care of  _ all _ the ladies who come to Goodneighbor.’”

He snorted, “Well, that’s technically true, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, he’s a master of that shit.”

Mac chuckled to himself. Deacon’s shenanigans were always funny so long as you weren’t the target of them. “He pulled some uh...some BS with us, too, before we left.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, uh...well, Nora and I were trying to give Shaun time to adjust to stuff and all, so we were being pretty...platonic. Didn’t want to rush anything.”

“Sure.”

“Come to find out, he’d already known about us for months. Deacon must have told him almost as soon as he could have visitors.”

“You’re kiddin’.”

“Nope. Told him some ridiculous story of how we fell in love and were probably going to be married and have babies. The whole thing.”

“How’d the kid feel about that?”

“Oh, he was all for it. Yeah...turned out his main concern was asking if we could get a cat, too.”

Hancock snorted, “Oh, man. How hard did you kick his ass over that?”

Mac shook his head, “Haven’t had a chance yet. Just found out this morning.”

His eyes went big,  _ “Shit.” _

“Yeah.”

“Huh.” Hancock stood suddenly and straightened his hat. “You know what? Think I’ll stay at Cait’s tonight. She’s a doll and it’ll be good to catch up.”

Mac frowned up at him, “I thought you were staying on the couch.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, well...I’m guessing you and her might wanna be out here later.” When the confusion on Mac’s face just grew, he huffed a little. “On account of the kid? It’ll be quieter if you’re further away from his room.”

“Oh... _ oh. _ Right. That’s...yeah.” Shit. He hadn’t even thought about that. The outside walls had been fortified, but the internal walls in Nora’s old home were barely standing. There was no way they could ever possibly be quiet enough to…

“Be seein’ ya.” Hancock was already headed out the door.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll see you.”

Goddammit. Codsworth was still floating around, cleaning up the kitchen. He watched him work and tried to figure out a solution for the coming night. Most people didn’t care about privacy in these situations, but he was sure Nora would. She always cared about crap like that. Plus, to be honest, he didn’t want to somehow further traumatize Shaun. He highly doubted anyone in the Institute had thought to give him 'the talk' yet.

Mac sighed a little. The only thing to do was...nothing. They could do nothing. With the kid in the house, anyway. Nora had mentioned getting him enrolled in school the following Monday. That was just...five days away. He groaned and made his way to the bathroom. He loved kids and all, but the  _ logistics. _ The logistics of dealing with them sometimes made him want to tear his hair out.

Fifteen minutes later, he finally made it to the bedroom, sliding the door shut behind him and deliberately not looking at Nora. If he hadn’t thought of it, he was betting she hadn’t either, and that meant he’d have to explain it to her and that was just going to make him upset all over again.

He tossed his clothes in the hamper and finally turned to the bed, and immediately wished he hadn’t.

Nora was sitting on her knees, wiggling a little, clearly impatient. She had on what looked a lot like that slip from just before Christmas and he decided staying away from the bed entirely until they’d talked was a good idea.

Mac leaned against the dresser, “So…”

She smiled, eyes twinkling, “So?”

He sighed, “You know we can’t do this, right?”

Her face immediately fell, “What? Why not?”

“Baby...your house is nice and all, but the walls are basically rusted through. We’ll wake Shaun.”

“Oh!” She laughed, “You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You really don’t.”

He rubbed his forehead. Just once he’d like for her to be the responsible one in these situations. “We both know you can’t be quiet for sh-nothing.”

Nora huffed at him, “I don’t have to be quiet, silly.”

“You don’t?”

“When were were delayed, Codsworth decided just setting up Shaun’s room wasn’t enough. I’m pretty sure some of his old nanny programming has been reactivated, actually. He um…”, she blushed just a bit. “Well, he has amazing auditory sensors, you know, and I guess he uh...heard us, a few times? So he asked Sturges to help him soundproof our room and Shaun’s room.”

“Soundproof?”

“M’hmm. They tested it. It’s good for up to seventy decibels.”

“And that means?”

“Oh, that’s like...as noisy as a crowded room or a radio. So long as we aren’t yelling or anything, no one can hear us.”

“How --”

“Acoustic paneling. These houses all came with the slots already set up between the walls, but it cost extra, so we hadn’t gotten around to it just yet. We’d always planned to, but…”

“So if our doors are closed, he can’t hear us?”

“Nope.”

He realized this explained her red face in the living room. Codsworth must have explained it to her then. “That’s was...thoughtful of them.”

“M’hmm.”

He turned a little and clicked off the lamp behind him, leaving only the candle Nora had lit by the bed as the room’s only source of light. “Very thoughtful.”

She laughed and crawled over to meet him at the edge of the bed, “I’m almost positive this is part of some larger scheme to get us to make more babies for him to take care of.”

Mac chuckled and looked down at her, “Oh, yeah?”

Nora was already focused on the growing bulge in his pajama pants. “M’hmm.”

“Well...I dunno about all that just yet, but I’m always up for practicing.”

She smiled and nuzzled against the fabric until he groaned softly. “Take these off.”

He grinned at her bossy tone, “Make me.”

Her teeth skated along his stomach and tugged at the waist band, pulling them down enough for his cock to spring free. The way she wiggled all over in excitement after had him laughing until her mouth closed over him. Then all he could do was twine his fingers in her hair and thrust gently while she suckled, her tongue pressing up against that sensitive little spot she’d found back in December. 

Mac moved a little closer, holding her head in place when she tried to back away. “Relax, baby. Relax your jaw for me.” He waited until he felt her open her mouth a little wider and smiled. He could feel himself just grazing the back of her throat and made an extra effort to be careful. “Good girl.”

One of his hands left her hair to brush some of it off her face so he had an unobstructed view of her hungrily sucking his cock. She added a hand to his shaft, squeezing and pulling until he was right at the edge.

He pumped a little faster and groaned, “Ah, fuck. Fuck you’re good at this.” The hand still in her hair slipped around to the back of her head and he pushed her a little further down, shivering as her throat swallowed around him. “You want a taste, sweetheart?” She moaned softly around him and he chuckled at the sound. “I know. I know you do, baby.”

Mac pistoned into her mouth, his toes curling on the cold floor as his balls swelled and then contracted, flooding her mouth with come. He pressed as deep as he dared, shuddering hard as the first few spurts slid down her throat. When he was finally able to let her go, she backed up slightly, breathing heavily, but still keeping her mouth on him, swallowing eagerly while her tongue coaxed every last drop out.

Panting, he watched her finish and gathered her hair in his hands, tugging upward until she finally released his cock and lifted her face to his. Mac kissed her deep, the salty taste of his seed still on her lips. He felt himself starting to swell again as he swept his tongue into her mouth. When he pulled away, she tried to follow, and he laughed, pushing her back until she fell against the bed.

She pouted at him a little while he finished getting his pants off, but it quickly turned into a smile when he finally got onto the bed with her. Mac dropped slow, lingering kisses along her legs and nestled himself between her thighs, biting a little roughly at the soft skin there until she squirmed.

“Was that fun, baby?”

She giggled, “M’hmm.”

“What was your favorite part?” When she didn’t answer, he glanced up and put a little more authority behind the words. “Answer me.”

“I...I liked all of it.”

He stared at her until she looked away, blushing and shy suddenly. “All of it?”

“Yes.” Her eyes met his for just a moment and the blush deepened.

Mac laughed and shrugged, “Okay. All of it. That works.”

He nuzzled against her creamy center, lipping at her folds. She barely managed to get a tiny little squeak out before he had her legs shoved wide apart and his face buried against her. He could still taste himself here, too. Different, with her sweetness added to it, but still a potent reminder that he’d filled her last night. His tongue delved into her and he could feel his hips starting to thrust a little against the bed. Nora whimpered and her hand slid into his hair, trying to pull him closer while grinding against his face. It seemed oddly aggressive for her and he lifted his head.

“Impatient tonight, aren’t you?”

“Please, RJ...it’s been so long.”

He scowled a little, “We just fucked last night. Did you forget?”

“Not like this though!”

An arrogant smirk came across his face, “Oh, so it only counts if we do it like this, huh?” She made disgruntled noises at him and he chuckled, two fingers sliding deep into her and immediately making the noises change into desperate little cries. Her hips moved against his hand and he watched as her fluids drenched him, his fingers slipping a little deeper each time until he was knuckle deep. His eyes went back to her face and he grinned wickedly at her. “Touch yourself, baby.”

Her eyes opened and she stared at him in shock, “What?”

He shifted his weight a little so he could grab her wrist and brought her hand to rest over her mound, guiding one finger across her clit and causing her to jump a little. “See? It’s already nice and swollen. So touch it. I want to watch.”

She all but froze, “I...I don’t even know--”

“You’re gonna have to learn.” Surely she had to. He wasn’t going to bring it up right this second, of course, but his trip to pick up Duncan would take at least five months. Probably longer since they’d be traveling during the summer and the storms rolling in off the ocean would be almost constant along the east coast. Mac hated the idea of her suffering in silence here at home while he was gone. She’d probably get antsy enough to do something super stupid, like decide to rebuild all of civilization on her own or try to write an entire encyclopedia from memory or something. He wasn’t having that.

His lips brushed against her fingertips, “Please? Try it for me. Seeing you do that would be so fucking hot.” He smiled softly at her, “You can close your eyes, you know, if that makes it easier.”

Mac could clearly see she was still nervous, but frustration finally won the day and her eyes closed. She chewed on her lip for a moment, “What exactly do I do?”

He grinned. She’d given in far easier than he’d thought she would. “Just think about how I touch you...how you’d like me to touch you. Then do that.”

Her brow furrowed as she concentrated and hesitantly started rubbing little circles over her clit. “Like this?”

His eyes glanced over at how her thighs were already trembling and tried not to laugh. He didn’t want her misinterpreting his amusement as anything other than the sheer delight it actually was. “Yeah, sweetheart. Just like that.”

Eventually the little circles became tighter and faster. Mac managed to hold himself back until her hips began to move, and then being a spectator was no longer doing it for him. She’d already learned enough on this first lesson. He pulled his fingers out of her body, and lapped eagerly at the nectar now freely flowing out of her. Her other hand immediately anchored itself in his hair and he chuckled, just a little, at how tightly she’d fisted his hair, like she would absolutely die if he moved away from her.

She was arched up, pressing against her own hand and his mouth and his heart swelled with pride when the first big shudder ripped through her body and she cried out softly. Her hand was suddenly too shaky to be of any use, so he nudged it out of the way and replaced it with his mouth, his tongue rubbing against her clit rhythmically until it finally stopped pulsing and the hand in his hair relaxed.

He finally let her go and crawled up her still shivering body, smiling at her stunned expression. “I’m so proud of y--”

He couldn’t even get the words out before she suddenly surged forward, capturing his mouth with hers and wrapping her body tightly around him. Mac felt her nails score his back and it caused a low sort of snarl to rise in his throat. He still wasn’t exactly sure what had caused this change in Nora. What had made her go from always following his lead in the bedroom to suddenly being so demanding and bold, but he was pretty fucking happy it had happened.

As much as he loved her being his obedient little kitten, he couldn’t deny missing occasionally getting bossed around in the bedroom himself. Maybe they’d have to have another discussion on how things worked between them when their pants were off.

Later, though...when his brain was still capable of cohesive thoughts.

Right now, all he could think about was keeping a good thing going. Mac rolled them, smiling against her mouth when she eagerly followed and straddled him. She broke away from him to pull her slip off over her head. His hands immediately found her breasts, massaging roughly and raising up enough to catch a nipple between his teeth before pulling it into his mouth, a little rougher than he normally would. She shivered and her hand grasped his cock, holding it in place while she sank down over it.

The sensation of her pouring over him was enough to break his concentration and Mac fell back with a groan, his hands settling on her hips and letting her set the pace. Once she found her rhythm, he simply added to it, surging up into her as she ground against him. He knew he had too tight a grip on her, knew his thrusts were just this side of too much, but he couldn’t help it. Two months of almost no contact at all had frayed his self-control to the point where if she didn’t complain, he wasn’t going to hold himself back.

They’d already saved the damn world, hadn’t they? There was no need to worry about always being spry enough to jump into a fight anymore. If she wanted him to fuck her until she couldn’t sit comfortably the next day, well...fuck it. That’s what he was gonna do. It’s what she liked, it’s what he liked, so what was the point in holding back anymore?

Maybe he’d been the selfish one, the one not properly appreciating the miracle currently writhing on him. Nora wasn’t Lucy. She was as wonderful and sweet and every bit as kind as Lucy had been, certainly, and he loved her at least as much, but she was different. Hardier, to be sure.

Given the direction he was starting to suspect they were headed, it was probably also time to talk about a safeword.

Nora fell over him, bracing herself on her arms and pushing down hard on his cock as her whole body started to shiver. Mac abandoned his hold on her hips and pulled her down to his chest, one hand buried in her hair and another pressing down against the small of her back. He planted his feet and used the leverage to drive into her again and again, lost in the sensation of the way her pussy spasmed around his cock and the passionate cries she was doing her best to stifle.

She buried her head against his neck, panting in his ear. “Don’t stop. Oh, God, please, RJ. Please?”

His hold on her tightened, “Never.” He listened to her purring and felt her nails dig into his shoulders. His mouth latched onto her shoulder and he managed to last all of two seconds before his teeth were sinking into her, keeping her trapped in place while he chased his own release.

When he finally came, it was hard and sudden. Stars exploding behind his eyes and his lungs freezing up. His whole body was shaking by the time it was over. Nora nuzzled happily against him and he rolled them both onto their sides, seeking the comforting feel of her arms around him while he came back to his senses.

She pulled away enough to get properly settled by his side and an unexpected, needy sound suddenly escaped him before he could stop it. Nora immediately reached for him, pulling his body close against hers, his head buried between her breasts. She shushed him quietly, petting his hair and humming softly while he tried to calm back down.

Mac wasn’t sure where this strange vulnerable feeling had suddenly come from. He just knew the tighter he held onto her, the better he felt. When he was sure his voice wouldn’t wobble, he spoke.

“Sorry...I don’t know what that was.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

He felt tears gather in his eyes and shook his head. This was stupid. He felt like he was about to cry. Mac almost never cried. “I’m being weird.”

“Well...that’s okay. I like weird.”

He smiled a little before a sob caught in his throat, “I just...I really missed you.” That was an incredibly lame, inadequate way to put it, but it’s all he had.

Her fingers combed through his hair, “Oh, honey, I know. I missed you, too.”

“I didn’t know if we’d ever get back to...this.”

Nora’s arms tightened around him, “I know. I’m sorry.” She pressed a kiss to the top of his head, “You’ve been through so much, and you were always there for me. Always being so strong and letting me lean on you constantly...I don’t know what I would have done without you there. You saved me.”

“You saved me, too.”

She scooted back a little and tilted his head up so she could look at him. “Listen, I want you to know...you were my lifeline. You were the only thing keeping me from...from giving up, after. I was in a really dark place, but I could still feel you always shining down on me. I know a lot of people think it was Shaun that brought me out of it, and he definitely helped, but I hope  _ you _ know...it was you. It was always you. Even if he hadn’t been around...it would have taken longer, probably, but I was already trying to get back to you.” She smiled a little and a few tears ran down her face. “I love you, and no matter what happens...no matter what fate has in store for us, no matter what tries to come between us, I’ll  _ never _ stop trying to get back to you. Ever. I promise.”

This was the difference. That fight. That stubborn will of hers that he loved so much. Mac smiled through his own tears, “I love you, too. I’ll never stop, either.”

She smiled, “Good. See that you don’t.”

He chuckled and wiped at his eyes, “We should probably go on to bed. I doubt Shaun’s going to sleep in or anything.”

“I don’t think he’s ever slept in.”

“Yeah.” He kissed her softly before sliding away, finding his pants easily and pulling them on, then frowning when he couldn’t find her clothes. “I have no idea where your slip thing went.”

“That’s okay. I wasn’t going to actually sleep in it...it wouldn’t exactly be appropriate for the breakfast table.”

“Nightgown?”

“Yes, please.”

Mac dug through her dresser and pulled out a long, perfectly respectable flannel gown. “This okay?”

“M’hmm.”

She caught it, barely, when he tossed it to her and sat up only enough to shimmy into it and then burrow under the covers. He barely had time to settle in next to her when she was already tucked up under his arm, head pillowed on his chest like nothing had ever happened, like this is how it had always been. Mac chuckled at the way she clung to his side and wrapped both arms around her.

“Missed me, huh?”

“Mmm. You’re so warm.”

Yeah, that’s what he’d thought she’d missed. “You could have just used a hot water bottle if you were cold, you know.”

Nora turned enough to press her face against his skin and breathe in deep, “Nope. Nothing else compares.” They managed to lay there quietly together for all of five minutes when she suddenly bolted upright, startling the hell out of him.

Mac sat up next to her,“What? What’s wrong?”

“I forgot!”

“Forgot?”

“To go tell Nate I was home.”

“Oh.” That. Her weird habit of talking to nothing. It still didn’t make any kind of sense to him, but it was important to her, so he took her hand and squeezed it, “It’s a little late now, baby. You can go visit in the morning.”

“But I’ve  _ never _ forgotten!”

“You were a little busy with Shaun and all. I’m sure he understands. He’d have wanted you to stay focused on the kid, right?”

“Right.” She still seemed a little unsure.

He pulled her back down with him and got them resettled under the covers, “How about you take Shaun to meet him after breakfast? That’d be nice, right?”

“Oh! That would be nice.” Nora smiled at him, “That’s a very good idea.”

Mac chuckled and closed his eyes, “Yeah, I have one every once in a while.”

She laughed and snuggled against him, “Goodnight, RJ.”

“Night, baby.”


	3. Did you write the Book of Love?

Hancock’s eyes opened and he immediately squinted irritably. Midmorning light was streaming through the window and shining right in his damn face. This was why he deliberately kept the windows in the State House as grimy as he possibly could. There was nothing worse on this godforsaken planet than getting blasted with a face full of UV radiation first thing in the fucking morning. He found his head was, unfortunately, sans hat at the moment, so he threw an arm over his face and grumbled.

His other hand reached out a little and, finding nothing but a cold place where a warm body had once been, he sighed in relief.

Falling into bed with one of Sunshine’s eager beaver settlers had seemed like a high quality idea last night, but waking up next to one was never a good time. She seemed to inexplicably draw the sentimental sort to her little towns. He’d had quite a few mornings where shaking off a moonstruck admirer had made things more awkward than he cared to remember. No matter how many times it happened, he still felt that little twinge of guilt when he had to bring them back down to reality. He’d always hated leaving anyone with anything but a smile.

But come on. Any dream involving setting up a cozy domestic situation with the Commonwealth’s resident libertine was just asking for disappointment, right? They should know better.

The upside to entertaining himself with the farming type though was they tended to be up hours before him, thus eliminating the need for awkward morning-after conversations entirely. Most of the time. Pretty worth it, really.

When he finally felt awake enough to deal with whatever Sanctuary had in store for him, he sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and trying to get his bearings. He was fairly certain he’d ended up in one of the little houses near Cait’s bar. The night before was still a fuzzy jumble of depravity, but he could vaguely remember a sweet face surrounded by dark curls and the promise of a bed with room for two nearby.

At least it wasn’t like that time where he’d thought he’d gone to sleep in Sunshine Tidings, only to wake up in a tato field at Abernathy. Nora had assumed he’d gone home and it had taken him nearly two days to figure out where the hell she’d gone and track her down.

Fucking hippies and their pharmaceutical experiments. Some things were best left to the experts, in his opinion, and manufacturing chems was absolutely one of those things.

The way she’d lit up when she saw him come over the hill was pretty great, though. She’d run to him like they were starring in one of those old sappy romantic movies Fahr pretended she didn’t hoard, complete with jumping into his arms at the end. He’d spun her around and around in circles while she giggled. He’d felt high as a kite, like he’d just inhaled a month’s worth of ultrajet. It was one of those memories he held tightly to on long nights in Goodneighbor when no amount of pleasant company could shake his loneliness.

Kinda like the one of their second meeting. Hancock had felt a little bad about telling a slightly modified, softer version to Mac. His usual policy was to just stick with the truth when it came to his friends, but the truth would have probably had him eating his own teeth in this case, so he’d padded it a bit. Not too much, of course. It’s not like anything had actually happened between him and Sunshine,  _ ever, _ but he hadn’t been quite as altruistic about shit as he’d made out. At least, not at first.

The first time he’d  _ really _ talked to her, after that messy incident at the gate where he’d felt compelled to show off and kinda make an ass out of himself, he’d been hooked. He’d told Mac something in his brain had changed in that moment, and he’d meant it. Life had never been the same after that night.

Big, dark green eyes staring at him in the dim hallway for a moment and then coyly shying away. That sweet, bashful smile and the way the flickering overhead light cast shadows and made her eyelashes seem impossibly long against her cheek.

_ “It’s so nice to meet you again, Mayor Hancock. I’m so sorry I was rude before and didn’t introduce myself properly. I’m Nora. Nora Cabot, of the Norfolk Cabots. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir.” _

He remembered being angry with himself for not thinking to take a hit of jet before knocking on her door. He wanted to memorize every single detail about this moment. The adorable way she seemed so flustered just to be speaking with him, the softly rolling sound of her accent, the way her dark hair cascaded down her back and how hard it was to resist the temptation to brush it off her face.

Even then, before he’d known anything about her other than she was hot and he was into it, she’d been special.  _ Different. _ Hancock had realized she was a dead ringer for one of the Nuka girls about two seconds after seeing her face. That alone made her irresistibly delicious.

His first assumption had been that she must be a synth to look as pristine and out of place as she did. When she’d mentioned Deacon and called him a friend, it had all but confirmed it. Seemed kinda weird for them to give her a face swap that would draw so much attention, but the Railroad had always been a little screwy in his opinion.

He’d eventually figured out that she actually  _ was _ one of those pinups on the billboards when she’d very pointedly tried to stand in front of one of her old posters and shield it from his view. She couldn’t be slick if you dipped her in oil, and his first impulse had been to tease her over it; but she’d been so clearly embarrassed by the whole thing that he’d pretended like she’d totally pulled one over on him and never mentioned it. He still had no idea why having your picture taken like that back then was apparently such a terrible thing, but he was guessing it wasn’t something ‘proper’ ladies did from how she acted. He’d even started taking her posters down whenever he came across one.

Purely for  _ her _ benefit, of course. Didn’t want her getting upset or anything. He couldn’t stand the idea of her being in distress. And if he’d started amassing quite the collection of Nuka girl products in one of his private closets, well...that was neither here nor there so long as she never found out.

What had begun as a fairly simple desire to fuck her brains out until he grew bored, as he always inevitably did, had turned into a complicated, powerful compulsion to love her...and boy, did he. Even now, when she was so clearly besotted and happy with one of his best friends in the world, he still loved her. He’d long come to accept that he probably always would. Just couldn’t help himself.

If she’d ever given even the slightest indication that she felt the same way about him, he’d have moved to stake a claim. A permanent one. Mac had indicated that both he and Nora were on the same page about getting married... _ eventually. _ Seemed pretty fucking arrogant from where he was sitting.

The whole situation chapped his ass. He’d have had her in front of Pastor Clements at All-Faiths about a half second after she’d said yes. Diamond City’s ban on ghouls be damned. Or in front of Wiseman out at the Slog, maybe. Preston could probably do it, too…

Not that he’d spent a lot of time daydreaming about it, or anything.

Truth be told, most of the thinking he did involving his Sunshine usually had a less than honorable flavor to it. Hancock had been fine thinking of her as being this strangely sexless creature who simply happened to be packaged in a body that just begged you to unwrap it. He really had. She’d kind of reminded him of some divine being. An entity too lovely and good to be of this world. Ham had once referred to her as an ‘earth angel’, after the old song. It had certainly fit. That’s exactly how he thought of her. An angelic being he was fortunate enough to know and had the privilege of protecting from the pervasive filth that existed in the wasteland.

The irony of that whole situation had not been lost on him. He was, after all, the reigning king of filth, known far and wide for his debauchery and hedonistic lifestyle. People had actually been  _ angry _ when he’d started running with her. Extremely so. He would have been insulted if he hadn’t been so flattered that they actually assumed he had a shot with her in the first place. He’d been warned to behave himself by Fahr, Daisy, Mags  _ and _ Clair before they’d even left Goodneighbor. Nicky had given him a lecture on how pre-war ladies should be treated and how they expected to be treated and the dire consequences that could befall a young rake should those expectations not be met.

He was pretty sure ‘dire consequences’ in this case meant a bullet in his body somewhere extremely unpleasant. Or a size twelve loafer up his ass courtesy of the synth detective. Either way, not a fun time.

Not to mention Piper had about read him the riot act after she’d found out. Which wasn’t all that surprising given her stance on mayors in general. (Yet another thing his dumbass brother had fucked up...or the synth who’d replaced him had fucked up, maybe? He’d never nailed down a timeline there.)

What  _ had _ been surprising had been Sunshine’s impassioned defense of his character. The way she’d described him to the reporter, you’d have thought he spent his days slaying dragons and rescuing fair maidens from fates worse than death.

He could still remember the smoldering hate Piper had thrown his way when that quick, sharp mind of hers had put the pieces together and she’d realized just how skewed Nora’s view on him really was. She glared daggers at him while enduring a scathing sermon on his alleged upstanding morals, unparalleled leadership skills and impeccable character from her friend and never said a fucking word.

She didn’t need to. The disgusted look on her face had said it all for her. He’d flinched away from her and her knowing, judging eyes, dragging Nora out of Diamond City before someone finally called security on them. Being reminded of who and what he was, the persona he’d so carefully crafted after assuming the throne and the coward who still hid beneath that image, had hurt. Piper had completely shattered the fantasy he’d been living. Not only that, but she’d made him feel soul-crushing guilt at having let Nora go so far in her ardent idolization of him. It had shamed him to the core.

That shame had been a catalyst for him. Before that day, he’d been playing at being Sunshine’s noble white knight. After though...it had stopped being a game. He’d  _ become _ that man. For her. Only ever for her. A better, smarter, more focused version of himself. He wanted to be the man she saw him as. Give her something to be proud of for real.

The memory of that moment and the feeling that had followed had been about the only thing that stopped him from fucking everything up that day when she fell in the creek last summer. She’d been walking in the shallow water, shoes in her hand, prattling on about pre-war ecosystems and what a  _ tragedy _ it was that the world had seemingly lost it’s entire frog population.

Not paying any attention to where she was going, as per usual whenever she ran with him. Usually that worked out just fine, as he was always on guard whenever she was around. Always ready to jump the first asshole who dared look her way. Unfortunately, he’d only been half paying attention himself this time.

Normally, he loved listening to her talk, loved how enthusiastic she could get over the strangest things and loved learning new things from her. But on that day, it had been hot hot  _ hot  _ and the sundress she’d chosen to wear, outfitted with ballistic weave from her Railroad friends and ‘perfectly safe’ for the outskirts of Sanctuary, had done a number on his brain.

The bright pink had brought out that charming blush in her cheeks and the way it had fit her left little to the imagination. It wasn’t as clingy as her vault suit, sure, but the way the skirt swished around her knees called up fantasies of running his hands up her thighs and…and just...

The thing was, life with Nora had been a lot harder to manage once he’d found out she was the same girl from Piper’s article. That newly widowed mother searching for her lost infant. Once he’d finally accepted the truth, that she had in fact, at least once, had intimate knowledge of what a cock was and what it was for, the idea of getting her intimately acquainted with his had been impossible to shake.

He still couldn’t actually picture her having sex in his mind really. At all. Those doe eyes of hers stared at the world with such fascination and innocence. The childlike faith she had in the people she called her friends. Her complete obliviousness to anyone trying to sweet talk her...it had made his head hurt to try and mesh all that together with the notion that she’d once made a baby with some guy.

A no doubt perfect paragon of a man who’d somehow, someway, found a way past that oblivious surface and unlocked a side of Nora that he was fairly certain  _ no one _ else had ever seen in the history of the world.

Dead or not, her husband had been one lucky bastard.

When she’d fallen, he’d stared at her with his jaw on the ground for a good ten seconds like some idiot. Stared at the dress clinging to her curves and the way he had a perfect view down her bodice. He could practically taste the drops of water that slipped one by one between her breasts and it had taken everything in him to not pounce her and make an ass out of himself on the spot. Instead, he’d somehow managed to overcome his lizard brain and extend a hand to help her back up.

He hadn’t, however, regained the self control necessary to use the proper amount of force. Hancock had yanked her onto her feet hard enough that the momentum caused her to immediately stumble forward, knocking them both down on the sunny bank of the Concord River with her sprawled out on top of him like a fantasy come to life.

The panic that had washed over him in that moment had been terrifying. She was laughing her ass off, breathing a little faster than usual from the sudden rush of adrenaline. All that soft, soaked skin pressed up against him. She’d made some innocent joke about being ‘a wet mess’ and he’d about lost his mind. Regardless of the mad scramble in his brain to find some platonic, chivalrous way to get out of such a situation, his cock had still responded the only way it knew, violently coming to full mast and pressing into her belly while she squirmed and tried to right herself in the slippery mud.

_ “Oh! Hancock, I think your knife is poking me, honey.” _

God. He would never forget the mortification he felt. There he’d been awash in temptation and sexual heat, and she still  _ hadn’t even noticed he was a man at all. _ Hell, she probably didn’t even realize he  _ could _ get erections.

He’d somehow managed to get them both upright and put his coat around her shoulders before the sight of her shivering and the way the wet fabric of her dress outlined her pebbled nipples gave him a fucking stroke. She’d thanked him for being ‘such a gentleman, as always’ with a kiss on the cheek and then skipped off back to her house for a change of clothing.

He’d tipped his hat and watched her go before heading under the bridge into town, hurriedly jerking off to the fresh memory of her body pressed up against his until he came embarrassingly hard into the river. That release had gotten him through the day until after he made sure she’d gotten properly tucked up in bed. Then he’d snuck out of her home, picked one of her settlers at random and fucked him mercilessly in the barn all night. Trying desperately to dislodge the vision of her staring down at him with that trusting, sweet expression on her face.

Hancock had gone back to Goodneighbor for a while after that, running away and losing himself in chems and sex like he always did.

Despite successfully minding his P’s and Q’s the entire spring with her, even chastely sharing a bedroll on nights when she couldn’t get warm enough on her own to sleep, he hadn’t trusted himself alone with her after that day. At least, not until the weather had changed and she’d started wearing layers again. But by then, she’d built that damned contraption to zap herself into the Institute and had come back changed. A little less wide-eyed and little more heartbroken.

The fact that she’d run to  _ him _ immediately after returning to Deacon had been incredibly gratifying. Deacon’s method for dealing with her pain had been to make jokes and try to distract her with plans and missions and work. It had been too much for her to deal with. So she’d walked away from him and straight into Hancock’s waiting arms.

He was almost positive he could have had her then. There’d been a small moment, so infinitesimal she hadn’t even noticed. They’d been in his office, her cuddled up in his lap while he rocked her and made soothing noises. Just letting her cry it all out like she needed. She’d been snuggled tightly against him, her hands fisted in his shirt, rubbing the soft silk to try to self-soothe. Her head had tilted up to him and he’d seen a void in her eyes. A place that had once shone with the hope of reunification with her precious child that was now a gaping wound in her soul.

If he’d still been that man-child playing at knight, he would have stepped into that void. It would have been all too easy to catch her in that moment, when her heart was open and bleeding. She was so desperate for comfort and love and someone strong to tell her everything would be alright. He could very easily be that person. He could be strong for her; he could learn to be the steady hand for her to hold. She needed a soft place to fall into and there was no place softer in the wasteland than his bed.

Just a few inches. That’s all. He could have settled his mouth over hers and overwhelmed her with his passion and undying devotion until she forgot all about this new, terrible pain. He could make her forget everything but him and how he could make her feel. He’d make her body sing like a heavenly choir under him. Her heart would follow and she’d finally fall for him the way he’d long ago fallen for her.

The temptation had, once again, nearly been overwhelming.

But she  _ had _ changed him. He  _ was _ different. Her innate goodness had rubbed off on him too much for that.

So, instead of weaponizing her vulnerability and using it to take everything he’d ever wanted her to give him, Hancock had wiped her tears away and gently suggested that she allow him to escort her to her cousins. He’d known Emogene for ages and had met the extended family once, too. Mrs. Cabot was a pill, but Jack had seemed like the competent sort. He would help her find her feet. Certainly Edward would make sure she was kept safe and sound while she healed.

And he could rest easy in the knowledge that he’d done the right thing. The noble thing, even, and maybe someday, when she was a little more ready, she’d appreciate that and seek him out on her own terms.

Then she’d snuck right under his nose and sought out MacCready instead, and that had been it. Game over.

Not that he could blame her, really. Mac was pretty fucking great, and pretty great at fucking. He was the marrying kind, good with kids...not terrible to look at, either. He’d found himself growing more than fond of the kid himself before Daisy had finally broken through his depression and kicked his butt into gear about saving his son again.

The day Mac had finally left Goodneighbor to go look for consistent mercenary work had been surprisingly difficult to deal with...and the day he’d had come running back, looking for safety and protection with the Gunners on his tail, had filled him with such a confusing, frightening swell of emotion that he’d bolted, even as he granted him official sanctuary. He’d kept himself ‘busy’, while occasionally throwing Mac a job that would keep him close to town. It had been a very confusing time for him and he still wasn’t quite sure what he had been trying to accomplish with that.

Hancock had often wondered if losing Mac as a lover had been part of why he’d ultimately allowed himself to get so infatuated with Sunshine, or if he’d just been cursed to find two almost-soulmates at the same time.

It kind of made sense, he guessed. They were clearly made for each other, so of course he’d fallen in love with them both.

Then at Christmas...when he’d mistakenly thought they were inviting him to far more than a simple sleepover, he’d been terrified, truth be told. Sure, the idea of having them both had ran through his mind more than a few times. He’d found himself watching them sitting on his couch and wondering what it would be like to help Mac send her to the moon. How much she’d blush if he showed her how easy it was to shut Mac’s sassy mouth by shoving a cock into it. What it would feel like to have them both writhing under his touch.

But when faced with the reality of the idea? He’d panicked. Sunshine and Mac were the two most loyal, best friends he had in the whole world outside of Goodneighbor. He wasn’t sure  _ any _ amount of sex was worth potentially screwing that up.

He’d actually been relieved when Mac had explained that when Nora had timidly asked him to sleep with them, she  _ literally _ meant sleep. Nothing else.

Of course, his relief had been relatively short lived. When he’d woken up with her moving against him in her sleep, he’d already been throbbing, kneading a glorious handful of her ass and his mouth on her neck. Thank God he’d gone to bed sober or things would have gotten a lot further along before he managed to wake up enough to put a stop to it...and thank God he’d actually worn the damn pajamas.

Mac had thought it was funny, the little asshole. He probably would have found it a lot less funny if Hancock hadn’t pulled her nightgown back down below her waist before he’d woken him up. The insane, reality warping feel of her hot little pussy grinding against his leg was something he’d take to the grave with him. Just like the way he’d tortured himself listening like some kind of pervert while she’d moaned under Mac’s touch after he’d left their room would.

Really, if he’d  _ known _ just how much he could hear from her bedroom while being in the bathroom next door, he would have just gone and pissed outside like a normal person. But once he’d heard that first little whimper and the pouty way she’d been murmuring...the low way Mac’s voice rumbled in response...it had been impossible to not let himself enjoy a bit of voyeurism.

He wasn’t a saint, after all. No matter what Sunshine thought of him.

Hell, Hancock still occasionally amused himself with all the times Mac and Sunshine had almost run into each other in his town. Usually right in his room or office.

Once, she’d unexpectedly thrown open the doors without knocking, excited enough to show him a new book she’d found that it had temporarily overridden her usual good manners, while he’d had his cock buried halfway down Mac’s throat. Not that she could really see, him being stashed under Hancock’s desk and all. She  _ had _ seen, and heard, enough to realize he was ‘occupied’, as she put it. He’d watched her blush bright pink, cover her eyes with her hands like a child, and hastily exit while he chuckled and kept a hand tangled in Mac’s hair. The kid had been so high on calmex with a jet chaser that he’d never even noticed the interruption. His talented, hungry mouth had never once stopped moving the whole time she’d been stammering out an apology.

Another time, she’d arrived as the Silver Shroud, doing the voice and everything. Deacon trailing along behind her with a long-suffering expression on his face. He’d made eye contact with the agent over her shoulder and gotten a ‘please go along with this nonsense’ kind of shrug, so he had. Pretending her disguise was impeccable and playing along with the whole schtick while wondering what exactly she wore under that silly trenchcoat. Mac had, at the time, been just a few feet away from his future true love. Happy and sated for once at the bottom of a very sweaty, tired pile of bodies on Hancock’s bed, watching the entire thing unfold from under the covers with bleary, bloodshot eyes that were still more drunk than hungover.

He still thought it was funny the way the kid had sat up after they left, staring at the door in confusion and asking if he’d just seen the Shroud talking to Hancock or if it was just the psycho lingering in his system.

Hancock pouted to himself a little. Yeah, those were the days.

He still missed running with MacCready. At least shit had never gotten boring, and the kid was loose as a goose when high. Willing and ready to do any fool thing they came up with to try. There were still days when he’d sit at his desk and his mind would wander back to the last time he’d had him stretched over it; the hot, tight feel of his ass pulsing around his cock, the way he begged and moaned when you really got him going. What a good little puppy he could be and how easily he switched roles when it suited him. Hancock even just missed watching him fuck somebody. Seeing his cock in action was downright inspiring. Feeling it up his own ass was even better.

He sighed and finally got up, grabbing his hat off the floor. Yeah, those were definitely the days. He didn’t know how good he’d had it back then. An eager boytoy for his bedroom and an enticing angel with an immaculate ass to fixate on outside of it.

Now they were together, starting a family and all that corny bullshit, and he found himself downright bereft.

He’d had plenty of partners in the interim, of course, but still...the slow death of a long-held fantasy was always tough. He’d get over it, sure, but those dreams...they’d haunt him until the end of time.

The communal house was right across from Nora’s. Yellow and cheery, the home that had once housed the Rosa family had been converted into a kitchen, laundromat and bath house for the town. He slipped inside, nodding sociably to those he recognized, and headed for the bathroom to clean up a little. The clock on the wall said it was already eleven. That meant Sunshine could be anywhere by now. The girl considered staying in bed until six to be ‘sleeping in’. She’d no doubt already been at work for hours by the time he got up.

That’s how they’d always been though, which was fine with him. Used to be, when they were out on the road, she’d fall asleep almost as soon as the sun went down, spend the night under his careful watch, and then wake up bright and early and get to work on whatever project she had going on while he had a little catnap. He’d gotten used to watching her sleep. Especially after that first little episode she had about scared the shit out of him.

Early March. Almost exactly a year ago. They’d been camped up on the edge of a ridge at some little abandoned farm called Breakheart Banks. Just down the road from the Slog. Their plan had been to wipe out the super mutants squatting there and then head on back. Blowing away those green shitheads had taken more out of her then they’d planned, though, and she’d asked if he wouldn’t mind camping there that night.

She’d looked so beautiful standing there, covered in blood that wasn’t hers under the moonlight with that sleepy kitten look on her face. He’d agreed without even really thinking about it. Made a few jokes about sleeping under the stars with his favorite girl, and before he knew it, she was out like a light. An angelic, apocalyptic valkyrie curled up by the bonfire after a long day of slaughter and mayhem. Cute as a button.

The peace lasted maybe three hours.

He couldn’t even remember what he’d been doing. Taking a smoke break or just spacing out maybe. Hancock just remembered blinking and suddenly her bedroll was empty. He’d called for her, repeatedly, and gotten no answer. Icy panic had filled his veins and he’d grabbed his shotgun, bound and determined to viciously murder whatever had dared take his Sunshine away from him. Almost feral with rage.

Then he’d come down the hill, around an old out-building, and there’d she stood. Toes curled right over the edge of a twenty foot cliff, staring at nothing and talking to herself. He’d heard of sleep walking before, of course, but he’d never seen it in action.

Hancock had bolted over to her, his arms going around her waist and dragged her back from an untimely death. She’d been passive until he’d tried to wake her up, then the real fight had started.

Sunshine had screamed like she’d never seen him, or any other ghoul for that matter, in her life. Claws out, snapping her teeth at him and trying desperately to rip his throat out. Like he was suddenly the enemy. He’d been forced to wrestle her down into the dirt, pinning her body in place with his and for once not being turned on by it. Once she could no longer get at him, she’d turned on herself, digging deep gashes in her arms and bloodying her own lip with her teeth. She’d even started slamming her head into the ground before he finally managed to shove a med-x needle in her arm.

He hated that he’d had to do that. Her stance on chem use had been made clear to him by several people by that time. He knew she never used them. Didn’t really understand it, but it was common knowledge that the Minutemen general was as straight-edge as they came.

Hancock had watched her, over and over again, get so tweaked up that she couldn’t sit still, couldn’t focus, couldn’t even sleep more than an hour at a time. It drove him  _ crazy _ the way she pushed herself to the very limit until physical exhaustion would finally overtake whatever was going on in her brain. Especially since he was essentially a walking pharmacy. He had pockets full of things that would help her, even if she wasn’t into using them recreationally. But she refused every time he offered.

Still, it had been an emergency situation. He’d doped her off her ass, administered a stimpak, and then carried her to the Slog. Wiseman had known her months longer than he had, and he trusted the guy. They’d stayed a few days while she rested, the ghouls at the tarberry bog all secretly working in tandem to come up with small, easily done projects to keep her from leaving while Hancock impatiently waited for Deacon to answer the dead drop he’d put in down the road.

He might not be  _ in _ the Railroad, per se, but he’d worked with them enough to pick up on shit. Deacon had finally slipped into town as a caravan guard and their friends kept her busy in the greenhouse while they’d had a long talk about Sunshine and her anxiety issues. The night terrors and the sleepwalking and the thing he called ‘REM behavior disorder’ tied to the trauma she’d endured.

He learned all about how she sometimes got lost in nightmares, reliving the moment her family got shattered right in front of her eyes over and over. How any kind of outside interference or help got sucked into the dreamscape. All the nights Deacon himself had been forced to hold her down, too. How he’d never told her about the calmex he kept in his pocket for emergencies. He’d explained that when she’d attacked him, it hadn’t really been  _ him. _ It had, probably, been that Kellogg asshole she was trying to tear apart.

A sentiment he wholeheartedly agreed with.

Things had gotten a little heated when Hancock had admitted to doping her against her will. Deacon had been furious at that and accused him of pushing chems. He’d pointed out, quite reasonably, he thought, that the man was being a  _ hypocrite _ since he’d just admitted to slipping her calmex every once in a while. He didn’t see any difference at all in what they’d done.

They’d never had the friendliest relationship prior to Nora hitting the scene, but after there was a tense brittleness there. Like Deacon was worried he was going to screw everything up somehow. Which was fine by him since the feeling was entirely mutual. Hancock felt being involved with the Railroad was a little  _ too _ much for Nora to have on her plate. She was already a general and a mayor and God only knew what else. Letting a pre-war housewife be a heavy for an underground synth resistance organization just seemed a little  _ too _ far to him.

Both men had threatened to essentially tattle on the other if either interfered in their respective relationships with her and they’d quickly reached a stalemate on that front. Deacon agreed Hancock was  _ probably _ capable of keeping her alive and well with minimal supervision, and Hancock conceded that Deacon was  _ probably _ fine to shepherd her around when he wasn’t available. Both men had sworn they weren’t romantically interested in her.

Hancock had been lying through his teeth, naturally. How he felt about Sunshine was no fucking business of the Railroad’s head busybody. He honestly wasn’t sure about Deacon. For someone who claimed to be so high-minded when it came to her, he sure  _ seemed _ like he had a vested interest in her personal life. They agreed to maintain a ‘friendly’ working relationship with each other for her benefit and even shook hands on it.

He’d given him a few tips and tricks, too. Cautioned him to never,  _ ever _ let her sleep unattended, told him about her weird psychologist cousin who could always be counted upon as a last resort for help, and then vanished into the ether again.

So Hancock had gotten used to being awake while she slept, no matter what. His own circadian rhythm had permanently switched to third shift in response.

Which was fine, really. He did his best work at night anyway.

Refreshed and clean, he headed back out, across the street and knocked politely on Sunshine’s door. About two seconds later, the door abruptly slammed open.

“Who’s it!”

Mac chuckled from the kitchen, “You’re supposed to say that  _ before _ you open the door, kiddo.”

“Oh, right.” Shaun suddenly shut the door in his face again and he heard the lock turn. “Okay,  _ now _ who is it?”

“Shaun! That’s very rude!” Nora’s shocked voice could be heard through the door and Hancock smiled.

“Sorry, Mom.”

He cleared his throat a little, “It’s just me, your ol’ pal Hancock.”

The door opened again and Shaun stared up at him, beaming proudly, “Mom and Uncle Mac are teaching me how to survive in the wasteland!”

Nora sighed, “Or at least here in Sanctuary…”

“Oh, like you ever remember to ask before opening the door either.”

She made a face at Mac before smiling at Hancock, “Good morning, honey. Did you just wake up? Would you like some coffee or anything? We’re about to have lunch. You’re welcome to join us.”

He watched Shaun bounce over to continue helping Mac make sandwiches and then took in the effervescent happiness Nora radiated now, so different from the nervous energy that used to pour off of her. His heart swelled with that wonderfully centering contentment he’d only ever managed to find here, on her doorstep, and he smiled back.

“Sure. That sounds good, Sunshine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! Another POV!
> 
> I just really like Hancock's inner voice. ❤


	4. The Prodigal Fox Returns

“Wrists straight, honey.”

“Like this?” Shaun adjusted his hands a bit and Nora nodded.

“Exactly. See how it feels like you have more control?”

“Yeah.”

“Proper posture is very important when playing the piano.”

The boy sat up a little straighter, “And I’m playing...the bass clef part right now?”

She nodded again and set her hands on the keys. “Yes. Bass clef is usually just your left hand, but you can use both for now if it’s easier. Think you can remember it?”

“I think so.”

“You start.”

“Okay.”

“One, two, three, four.”

Mac watched Shaun stick his tongue out, just a little, clearly concentrating hard. The hesitant first few notes began and after a few counts, repeated, a little faster and bouncier this time. Nora let him go through the sequence three times on his own before she began playing, and what had just been a simple sort of tune suddenly became an actual song.

Hancock’s head bobbed along to the beat from the living room. “I Got Rhythm. Nice.”

“You know this song?”

“Sure. Thought everybody did.”

“I’ve never heard it.”

“It’s got words, too.”

He glanced back at Nora, “You can sing and play at the same time, right?”

Her cheeks immediately went pink, “Ah...yes. Yes, I can.”

When she didn’t actually start singing, he scowled. He’d heard her hum to Shaun before, of course, but whenever she actually sang to him at night, her voice was so soft he couldn’t really hear it from his usual hidden post down the hall. He was determined to find a way to get her to sing for him one day. Curie was right, it  _ wasn’t fair  _ that she only did it with Deacon.

“You’re barkin’ up the wrong tree there, kiddo. If you wanna hear her sing, you’re gonna have to sneak up on her and catch her in the act.” Hancock laughed, “That’s how I did it, anyway.”

“You’ve heard her?”

“Yup. Caught her one day with Dogmeat. She was singin’...what was it, sweetheart?”

“Cracker Jack.”

“That’s right. Little ditty called ‘Cracker Jack’. About some girl’s mutt she had when she was little. About made me cry.”

_ “Unfair.” _ He folded his arms and grumbled.

“I told her she should let Mags record her. We’ve got that whole setup in the Third Rail, you know. Sounds like a fuckin’ lark.”

Nora sighed, “John,  _ honey, _ language.”

“Right...sorry, Sunshine.”

They’d had lunch together and then Shaun’s attention had been drawn like a magnet to the electric keyboard the Railroad had gifted his mother with at Christmas. Once Nora had shown him a few scales and chords, he’d clearly been hooked, and an impromptu lesson had begun. Mac liked the sound of their playing and had settled down in the living room with a comic next to Hancock, who preferred to listen with his eyes closed mostly.

The ghoul was humming along now, occasionally mumbling words under his breath. Mac had always liked listening to him sing, too. The soft, raspy voice had never failed to soothe his nerves, and they were pretty well shot after the events of the morning.

First, he’d woken up to not one, but  _ two _ people in bed with him. He’d figured Shaun would probably wake up and immediately want his mom, of course. It’s part of why he’d worn pants to bed in the first place. What he hadn’t counted on was the boy burrowing under the covers between them.

He’d had a strange, unsettling kind of deja vu when he woke up in the darkness to the feel of a kid snuggled up against him and his arms around both the boy and the woman he loved more than anything in the world. His heart had forgotten, for just a moment, and everything after Lucy had seemed like a nightmare he’d just come out of. It had felt just like waking up with his wife and son, like he had so many times before everything went wrong.

Then reality had reasserted itself when his body realized the kid was far too big to be Duncan. The woman’s skin too soft and sweet-smelling of pre-war soap to be Lucy.

It should have still been a happy moment. Their new little family snuggled up together. It probably meant something that Shaun had chosen to cuddle up with both of them rather than just keeping to Nora’s side of the bed.

Instead it had just felt bittersweet and he’d become irrationally angry at the world, slipping from their bed and heading out the kitchen door to sit against the side of the house. Dogmeat had followed, curling up against him on the cold concrete in a quiet, supportive sort of way with his head resting on his thigh. He appreciated that. Mac spent nearly an hour there, petting the dog and focusing on breathing slow and deep. Just trying to get his head on straight.

He’d completely forgotten Nora. For a good minute, he’d been happy and content thinking he was laying there next to his long-dead wife. That was awful, wasn’t it? He  _ loved _ Nora. He wanted this life with her. Why was he still so stuck in the damn past?

It had made him ache to hold his son, too. Hancock had met them at Bunker Hill with a few letters for him in his pockets, but none of them had mentioned the cure arriving. That was troubling. It should have been there by now, surely. It was already mid-March and they’d sent it off in November. That was four and a half months. Plenty of time for it to get there, get administered, and a letter saying if it had worked or not to come back.

He was grateful for the colorful artwork and reassurances from his friends that yes, the Christmas package had arrived before the big day and had been well-received, but...it wasn’t the news he’d been hoping for when he’d torn open the envelopes. Nora and Shaun had praised Duncan’s excellent sketches of what was clearly some kind of animal, and his penmanship. The scrawled block letters had brought tears to his eyes. When he’d left him, Duncan could barely say his own name, let alone spell it.

Nora insisted on putting the picture up on the refrigerator, proudly on display. Mac had smiled when she’d done it, but it made it hard for him to get a drink now. He couldn’t even look at it without his eyes welling up. A year was nothing, really, but to a five year old? That was an eternity. He wasn’t even sure if Duncan would recognize him at this point.

Second, their morning excursion to the cemetery had been strangely difficult for him, too. Nate’s grave was...nice, he guessed. If you were into that kind of thing. A simple small headstone with his name, Nathaniel Shaun Johnson, and the date of his birth. Nora hadn’t listed the day he’d died. The Institute had done their best to wipe the evidence of their interference in the vault, including any recorded timestamps. She had no way of knowing exactly what day that had been, when they’d been briefly reanimated and he’d been murdered right in front of her. So she’d just left it blank.

Mac had stood back a respectful distance and quietly listened to her introduce Shaun to his dad and found himself trying not to cry. Nate had died with Shaun in his arms. Lucy had died just seconds after he’d taken Duncan from hers. Shaun would grow up hearing stories of his father, just like Duncan would grow up only knowing Lucy through whatever he could stand to tell him. It made his heart hurt.

It also made him wonder where his own parents lay. If anyone had thought to dispose of the bodies in a respectful manner like Nora and her settlers had done for the dead in Vault 111. Or if they’d simply been left to rot somewhere as was typical for the wasteland.

He’d thought he was over all that crap. As a little boy, he’d longed for his parents and spent too many days wishing his father, whoever he was, would just magically show up and take him home. Little Lamplight and the cave that sheltered it was fine to grow up in and all, but it had never actually felt like  _ home. _

So, it had been a tough morning for him. Emotionally. Nora hadn’t noticed and he didn’t want her to. She was so happy to have Shaun home and had proudly taken him around, introducing everyone and showing him the town before lunch. He’d wanted nothing more by that point but to crawl into bed with her and hide from the world. It wasn’t even a sexual thing. He just wanted to be someplace dark and quiet and safe. Instead he’d followed them closely, like always, keeping a sharp eye out for anything that might threaten his new family.

The Institute was gone and Sanctuary was probably the safest place he’d ever lived, but still. He was taking no chances. It would be a cold day in hell before he let anything bad happen to them. Not again.  _ Never _ again.

Sitting here, in the warm comfort of their home and listening to Nora and Shaun laugh together was helping though. Mac didn’t know why, but the longer this peaceful little bubble lasted, the more he was convinced it was about a half second away from popping in his face. It felt like something had gripped his brain and was slowly twisting it...but this was helping. Hancock’s presence was also appreciated. He felt better having the ghoul there. It just felt safer.

If anything catastrophic did happen, and it got through Mac somehow, he knew Hancock would absolutely lay waste to whatever or whoever threatened Nora. It was the best backup any man could ask for.

He just wished his friend, and the security he represented, could stay here forever.

Hancock frowned suddenly and his eyes opened. “Y’all hear that?”

The music suddenly stopped and Nora looked up with her head tilted, “Yes. It’s...what is that?”

“Oh, you do. Good. I thought I was hallucinating for a second .”

Mac focused and could just barely hear it. A strange humming noise in the distance. Almost sounded like…”A vertibird.”

“Ugh...that means Brotherhood.”

Shaun bounced off the piano bench,  _ “Brotherhood? _ Those are the guys with all the power armor and stuff, right?”

Nora’s troubled eyes met Mac’s before she spoke, “Yes, sweetheart, but…”

“Can we go see?”

Mac sighed. He knew exactly how he felt. When he’d been Shaun’s age, the Brotherhood of Steel had seemed so cool to him, too. All that firepower and the prestige. Especially after they’d stomped through downtown DC with Liberty Prime, chucking nukes everywhere and destroying super mutants left and right.

That shit had been  _ crazy _ cool. Little Lamplight had practically been deserted when that had gone down. Almost every kid had gone en masse downtown to witness the Lone Wanderer and the Lyons Pride in action. It wasn’t until he tried to actually join at sixteen that he’d gotten a firsthand glimpse of the bullshit under all the shiny chrome.

Plus, they still had that pesky anti-synth stance. They’d already sent several pointed messages while they’d been stuck at the Castle asking what had happened to all the synths after the Institute had been destroyed. Probably wouldn’t be too thrilled if they knew that literally every Minutemen settlement across the Commonwealth had synths in it.

And they definitely wouldn’t be cool with Nora’s synth-clone of her dearly departed son.

Hancock shook his head, “You don’t want to go messin’ around the Brotherhood, kid. They’re full of…uh...”, he trailed off after finally noticing Nora’s warning scowl. “Nerds. Just...full up of nerds.” He rose from the couch and came over to the keyboard, “Why don’t we keep practicing and your mama and Uncle Mac can go see what they want?”

“Aw, do I have to?”

Nora stood and let Hancock have her spot. “You don’t have to practice, but you do need to stay here for me, alright? This might be official Minutemen business.”

He plunked back down and pouted, “Okay.”

“Thank you.” She kissed the top of his head, absentmindedly trying once again to smooth out the ever present cowlicks in the dark hair. “Be good for Uncle Hancock while I’m gone.”

Shaun still looked mopey about being left out. “I will.”

Hancock waved her away, “We’re gonna have a great time, Sunshine. Don’t even worry about it.”

Mac held the door open for her and chuckled at him, “But not  _ too _ great a time. The house will still be standing when we get back, right?”

His grin was downright devilish. “I make no promises.”

He shook his head a little and shut the door behind him. Nora was already headed down the street and he jogged a little to catch up. “So...what do you think this is about?”

“God only knows with these people.”

Mac tried not to laugh at her irritated tone. “They ever been out this way before?”

“Never. They’ve got no business being this far north and they know it.”

The bird was now hovering over the town, settlers staring up at it with varying degrees of trepidation. There was a little murmuring that rippled through the group and then they seemed to all come to the same conclusion: disperse and hide. Mac watched them all walking quickly to their individual homes and frowned.

“Guess your people aren’t big fans of the Brotherhood, either.”

“Bostonians have always had long memories. They’ve never forgiven them for those crops they tried to steal last summer.”

“Ah.”

The vertibird started to descend and Nora immediately started waving her arms and yelling,  _ “No! _ Absolutely not! Don’t you  _ dare _ set down right there!”

Mac put his hand on her shoulder to keep her from running right up under the thing. “They can’t hear you, baby. Doors are closed.”

“We just got those fields tilled for spring planting! They’re going to blow all the damn topsoil away!”

He watched the loose earth get picked up and thrown by the vortex of wind the thing generated and winced a little. “Then I guess that’s what’s gonna happen.”

_ “Goddammit.” _ She folded her arms and glowered at the pilot as hard as she could. “This is what happens when you build an empire on conquest rather than civilization building. You lose all respect for agriculture.”

Mac chuckled, “True. That’s uh...that’s true.” Probably.

The blades had just barely stopped whirling around when she was stomping up to the door. “You better have a damn good explanation for this!” She raised her hand to bang on the side when it slid open and her fist hit power armor instead. The soldier wearing it looked shocked at the unusually angry look on face.

“General Cabot.”

Nora jerked her hand back and took a few steps back. “Oh! Paladin Danse. What on earth are you doing here?”

“Madame!” Curie bolted out from behind him and launched herself into Nora’s arms, sobbing.  _ “Tu m'as tellement manqué!” _

“Curie!” Her arms tightened protectively around the synth and she glared at Danse. “Why is she so upset? You better start talking.”

His face went even more stonier than usual, “It might have something to do with  _ him.” _ He jerked a thumb over his shoulder and hopped down, revealing a grinning Deacon still strapped to a gurney.

He gave them a jaunty wave, “Hey, boss! Miss me?”

She just looked more confused. “Deacon? Where’s --”

X6 stepped around the other side of the vertibird. “Grandmother.”

“Oh. There you are, honey. Hello.” Nora frowned at him a little and raised her voice to be heard over Curie’s wailing and broken French, “Why did...what is happening here, exactly?”

He came and assumed parade rest beside her, “Deacon insisted upon coming home. Curie told him he wasn’t yet strong enough to make the trip. He then proceeded to use a stealth boy to slip past me, stole a suit of power armor and attempted to leave the Castle in it. He was, naturally, detained but refused to give up. Based on observation, I believe Curie then had some sort of mental break. She threatened to shoot him if he tried. They then began yelling at each other in her native language. Paladin Danse happened to be there for a meeting with Lieutenant Garvey, and offered the use of his vertibird to bring Deacon here. Presumably to deescalate the situation. Garvey immediately accepted and here we are.”

Nora stared at him for a few seconds, absorbing his report before her head slowly turned to stare at Deacon, who just pouted at her. Mac was very,  _ very _ glad she’d never looked at him that way. “Deacon.”

The pout grew, “I was  _ lonely _ without you.” A mischievous sort of grin slowly crept over his face, “You look real pretty today, sweetheart. Did anybody tell you that yet? I already feel twenty percent better just looking at you.”

_ “Deacon!” _

His pout returned, “What?”

“Apologize to Curie this instant!”

He sighed, “Fine... _ désolé, _ Curie.”

“Not good enough.”

_ “Je suis vraiment désolé, ma belle. _ Better?” When she and the medic just glared at him, he sighed again.  _ “Je suis profondément, sincèrement désolé, mon ange chéri.” _

Nora was petting Curie’s hair while she was cuddled up against her, still trying to soothe her temper, “Better.”

He grinned, “So...where’s my hug?”

She ignored him and turned to Mac, “I’m taking Curie back home with me. Can you help X6 get him set up in the infirmary?”

“Sure, boss.”

“Aw, silent treatment.”

“Paladin Danse, thank you for your assistance today. Will you be staying or --”

He looked all too happy to reboard his vertibird, “I believe I’ve done all I can here, General.”

“Alright. Thanks again.” She nodded at his salute and mumbled when he turned his attention to getting Deacon’s gurney out, “Now get the hell out of my field.”

He paused and looked over his shoulder, “Ma’am?”

She blushed a bit and glanced at Mac, “We’re leaving. Say goodbye to the nice paladin, Curie.”

_ “Ils sont tous stupides et je les déteste! J'ai horreur des le _ Brotherhood!”

“Okay, okay. I know you do, honey.”

Deacon snickered as he watched them leave, “Man, she really hates you guys.”

Danse glared down at him, “If I’m not mistaken, I’m pretty sure she hates you more right now, wastelander.”

“Pssh. Nah. We just have a passionate kind of relationship is all. That’s just how it is when you tangle with the French. Didn’t you ever read Les Misérables?” He grinned at Mac, “Hey, kiddo! How’s it hangin’?”

Mac and X6 helped Danse ease the gurney off the vertibird, which almost immediately lifted off. “Don’t start with me, Deacon. I’m already going to have to calm down a house full of women on account of you.”

X6 made noise that on anyone else would have almost sounded like a chuckle, “I do not envy you that task.”

“Careful! Fuck.” Deacon grimaced a little as they dragged the stretcher over the rough field and onto the street so they could wheel him to the hospital.

“If you’d wanted careful you should have stayed put at the Castle.”

“It was  _ boring _ there.”

“M’hmm.”

“And Curie’s been  _ torturing _ me!”

“Making sure you adhere to your daily physical therapy regimen is hardly torture.”

He scowled at the courser, “Of course you’d say that, Lurch. You’re her fucking lackey.”

Mac raised his eyebrow at that and X6 shrugged, “I’ve been assisting in the therapy.”

“Ah.”

“Torture!”

“Even if it hurts, it’s still just therapy. If I ever decide to actually torture you, you’ll know it.”

They got him wheeled into a room on the lowest floor, and into a bed right by a big window that overlooked the street. Mac tried his best to put out cheerful vibes as X6 got him situated and put a blanket over his legs.

“Well, this isn’t so bad, is it? You’ve got a good view.”

“Yeah.” Deacon shifted a bit, trying to get comfortable and wincing. “Everything fucking hurts.”

X6 shook his head, “He complains a lot.”

“That’s because it fucking  _ hurts a lot!” _

Mac frowned a little. Deacon might be the dramatic sort, but the sweat on his forehead and the tense way he held his shoulders wasn’t just for show. He also couldn’t ever recall the man ever throwing around f-bombs like he currently was. “Doesn’t she have you on painkillers or something?”

“He refuses to take them.”

His eyes went wide, “Fu-freaking heck, man. You won’t take  _ anything?” _

“Shit makes me loopy.”

“Loopy’s better than this, isn’t it?”

Deacon just glared at him and then pointedly stared out the window. “I’m thirsty.”

“On it.” X6 immediately took off.

Mac sat down next to Deacon’s bed, “You really won’t take anything? It can’t be good for you to be in so much pain all the time.”

His hands tightened on his blanket for a moment before he spoke, “Can’t afford to get loose. Too many secrets, too many lives at risk.”

Right. The secret agent stuff. He’d almost forgotten. “Oh.”

He finally shifted his attention back to Mac, “So…”

“So?”

“You and Nora tie the knot yet?”

“What? No.” He shook his head, “Why would you --”

“You guys took off to visit her family. Stayed over a week. I just thought…”, he shrugged.

Ah. So this was the problem. “She’d never do that to you. Nora would never let you miss something like that.”

He shrugged again, “Maybe...she’s mad at me now.”

“Yeah...she is, but she’ll get over it. Especially if you make up with Curie for real. She loves you. That’s never changed.” Oh, speaking of… “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“How did you get her to sing for you? She won’t even do it for Hancock. Just you and the dang dog...and Shaun, of course.”

Deacon chuckled, “Me and the dog. That’s how you know it must be love.”

“Come on, man. Help me out here.”

“Alright, alright. Well...I knew she was into music, and of course, she has a head full of songs that have been lost since the war. There was...a girl I knew once, who sang a song I’d never heard before or since. I asked her if she knew it, and she said yes and I asked if she’d ever sing it for me.” He shook his head, “Somehow, I ended up telling her the whole sad story behind why I wanted to hear it again. I’m not exactly sure how that happened, but...she’s tenderhearted, you know? You get her feeling sorry enough for you, and she’ll pretty much do whatever you want.”

“So...that’s it? You made her feel sorry for you and she sang you some song?”

“Pretty much.”

“What was the song?”

“It’s called ‘Dream a Little Dream of Me’.”

“Huh.” He considered this. “Was it even true? The story you told her.”

He laughed, “Every damn word. She’s the only person I’ve ever told it to. Never trusted anyone else with it.”

_ “Oh, _ I get it. You made a trade. You told her a truth and she gave you a song for it.” He wasn’t sure he even had a secret left to leverage with Nora. She already knew pretty much everything he’d ever done. Dammit. This would have been good to know when he was telling her his life’s story for free.

“Something like that.” Deacon rested his head back and sighed, “I’m fucking useless now, RJ.”

Mac didn’t like the serious way he said it. Like he actually believed that shit. “How you figure?”

He laughed and it sounded bleak, “Are you kidding? I can barely feel my feet, barely walk...got fucking fired.”

“I thought that was just temporary.”

“Yeah, temporary until I miraculously recover.”

“You  _ are _ recovering.”

He shook his head, “I’ll never be what I was, kid. It’s over.”

“So?”

_ “So?” _

“So find something new to be. Something new to do. Isn’t that like...what you’ve always done anyway? Reinvent yourself again.”

Deacon didn’t answer for a long time, then he suddenly smiled a little. “I missed you, RJ.”

Mac looked away and grumbled, “Yeah, well...I guess I missed you, too.” Movement outside caught his eye and he grinned. “Looks like you’re about to have company.”

“Who?”

He didn’t even have time to answer before the door slammed open and Shaun sprang into the room, yelling at a volume that could have shattered glass. “Uncle Deacon!”

Deacon yelled back, “Shaun!”

“I’m so glad to see you!”

“Me, too!” He chuckled and finally lowered his voice, “Now get over here and give me a hug!”

The boy bolted over and threw his arms around him, “I didn’t know you were coming home! Nobody told me!”

“It was kind of a last minute thing.” He held him back at arm’s length and looked him over carefully. “I think you got bigger already. I thought we talked about this. No growing up without me.”

“You really think I’m bigger?”

“Yup. Definitely bigger. More muscle-y, too...practically a man already. You aren’t shaving yet, are you?”

He giggled, “No.”

“Better not be.”

X6 finally returned with a can of water and silently handed it to his charge. “Hello, Shaun.”

“Hi, X6!”

“Deacon is lying. You’re no larger now than you were when we last saw you.”

“Aw, really?”

Mac snorted and tried to not laugh at the outraged look on Deacon’s face.

“For shit’s sake, Lurch! We’re just  _ joking.” _

“Grandmother wouldn’t like it.”

“How the hell do you know what she’d like? You still can’t figure out why she’s with Mac here.”

The courser frowned down at Mac, “Curie said he’s got --”   


Deacon slapped his hands over Shaun’s ears, “Little ears, pal! Sheesh.”

The frown grew, “I am confused. Lying and cursing is alright to do around the boy, but talking about --”

“Talking about  _ that _ is not okay! Yes. You’ve got it.”

Mac shook his head, “Speaking of Curie, I should go check on her, too.”

“I’ll bring the boy home.”

“Thanks, X6.” He got up and headed for the door. “Behave yourself.”

Shaun waved goodbye, “I will!”

“I was talking to Uncle Deacon, kiddo.”

He headed back towards the house, popping his neck a little. Handling people had never been a great strength of his. Even back in Lamplight, his job as mayor had mainly consisted of settling disputes by yelling at people and shooting anything that threatened their little community. Here though, you had to be polite and worry about hurt feelings and shit. It was exhausting.

There was no loud noises coming from inside when he paused on the doorstep. That was probably good, right? He slowly turned the doorknob and cautiously poked his head inside. Curie lay on the couch, a cool washcloth over her eyes and her head in Hancock’s lap while he rubbed her temples. Nora was curled up in a nearby chair keeping an eye on things.

“Everything alright here?” He kept his voice low and calm as he entered and set his hat on the coat-rack.

Nora smiled, “Yes, she’s calming down now.”

Curie sniffled pitifully,  _ “Il a ma peau…” _

Nora sighed, “Now, honey, you know that isn’t true.” She shrugged at Mac, “She thinks Deacon is deliberately trying to make her crazy.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, I know that feeling.”

“Who’d wanna do a thing like that to such a sweet little bird?” Hancock cooed at her and gently stroked her hair.

Mac’s eyes narrowed a little. “Yeah...a little bird we all care  _ so much about.”  _ He stared the ghoul down until the other man sighed irritably and looked away. He had no doubt Curie would have a good time with him and all, a  _ great _ time, even, but he wasn’t dealing with the aftermath of that relationship. No sir. No thank you. There were a million cute girls in the wasteland. He could go find one who wasn’t so important to Nora to seduce.

She lifted one corner of the washcloth and looked at him, “Mac? Is that you?”

He smiled at her. At least she’d remembered to drop that ‘monsieur’ crap. Now if he could just get her to convince Codsworth to do it. “Hey, Curie. How you holding up?”

“It has been  _ quite _ difficult.”

“I know.”

“Monsieur Deacon is  _ not _ as charming as I had thought.”

“Yeah, that’s...yeah.” There was no where left to sit, so he plopped down on the floor with his back against Nora’s chair. “We got him all settled in.”

“Okay.”

“Shaun should tire him out for you pretty good.”

_ “C'est bon. _ He is  _ such _ a good boy.”

“M’hmm.” Nora’s fingers had started gently combing through his hair and it was hard to think suddenly.

Her face scrunched up a little and she started crying again, “How I missed him, too!”

Hancock gave him a hateful look and smoothed the washcloth back over her eyes. “Shhh, it’s alright. You’ll get to see him whenever you want to now.”

“This is true.”

“So there’s no reason to cry over it.”

“I am so sorry!”

“Shhh.”

“She’s just a little overwrought is all. It’ll be fine. You’ll be fine, Curie.”

_ “Tu me rends tellement heureuse, _ Madame.”

“You make me happy, too, honey.”

Two hours later, X6 appeared with Shaun and announced that Deacon had fallen asleep. Curie, rested and tipsy after a few restorative shots of whiskey with Hancock had gone back to her own little bed in the hospital office, carefully escorted by the courser, who promised to stay between her and ‘that man’ until morning.

The mayor took his leave shortly after Shaun had been put to bed, preferring to make the trip back in darkness. Mac hated seeing him go, but finally being alone with Nora was pretty great. He made sure everything was locked up and then returned to the living room. She’d moved from her chair to the couch and smiled up at him.

“Long day, huh?”

A small huff of laughter escaped him and he sank down to his knees on the floor, burying his head in her lap and groaning. “The longest.”

Nora laughed and ran her fingers through his hair. It was so soothing. “It’ll be better tomorrow. Things should start settling down a little and we can find our new normal.”

A new normal. The phrase stuck in his brain. That’s exactly what this was. Life before, with his wife and son, had been the old normal. It had been wonderful. This was the new, and it was good, too. It was just as good as things had been back then. Maybe that’s what had him so twitchy. He was waiting for it all to crash down around him like it had once before.

He turned his head enough to speak, “Nora?”

“Hmm?”

“I want to ask you to marry me.”

The fingers in his hair paused for a moment and then resumed their combing. “I know.”

Mac wrapped his arms around her waist and lay there for a moment, passive and petulant. “But I can’t yet,” he grumbled.

“I know that, too. We already talked about it.”

“Yeah.” He frowned to himself. They  _ had _ already talked about it. Why was he such a fucking baby about shit lately? “You...you’re still going to say yes, right?”

“Of course I am, silly.”

“Okay.”

“Hey.” She tugged on his hair gently until he raised his head. “Are you alright?”

He stared up at her and wanted to say yes. Wanted to smile and tell her everything was great. Everything was fine and hunky dory and he was living the fucking dream because he was. He totally was, so why didn’t he feel like it? “I don’t know.”

Her eyes searched his face and she frowned thoughtfully, “Mac.”

“Yes?”

She pulled him up further until they were eye level with each other, taking his hands in hers. “Will you marry me?”

“What?”

“Will you marry me?”

“I...Nora, you know I have to talk to Duncan first and --”

“I know. You have to talk to him before  _ you _ ask, but I don’t, and I’m asking. Robert Joseph MacCready, will you marry me?”

She looked so serious, holding his gaze for once and the feel of her hand in his was so right and so wonderful…

“Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

“Right now?”

He started, “Right  _ now?” _

Nora smiled, “You should see your face...yes, right now.”

“Don’t we need like...people, for that?”

She shrugged, “I’m the general of the Minutemen and the mayor of this town. I’m pretty sure we don’t.”

“Deacon will be pissed.” Pissed on a homicidal level, not to mention hurt beyond measure.

“So we won’t tell him.”

His eyebrow went up, “You’re going to keep a secret from Deacon? You?”

“I can try.”

“There’s no way.”

“I’m tired of not being your wife.”

“You are?”

“Yes. I’ve  _ been _ tired of it.”

“I just...you seemed so busy and...I guess I didn’t think it really mattered to you that much.”

Nora sighed, “I’m sorry. I know I don’t do a good job showing how I feel, really. Not when we’re just...clothed, I guess.”

Mac chucked, “It’s alright. You definitely make up for it where it counts.”

Her cheeks went pink, “Mac.”

The tight knot of nerves he’d carried with him all day loosened in his chest. “When we get married, I want the whole damn world there to see it.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to rub it in their freaking faces.”

She huffed a little, “Oh, Mac, honestly.”

“I am being honest! You’re so far out of my league we aren’t even playing the same game, baby. Nobody is going to believe we’re married unless they see it happening for themselves.”

“I hardly think that’s true.”

He grumped at her, “Well...maybe it’s not, but I still want everybody to know.”

“We could always just have Piper put an announcement in the paper. That’s how it used to be done.”

“Oh.” Mac thought it over for a minute before shaking his head, “We still can’t. If Deacon didn’t kill me, Hancock  _ definitely _ would...I can wait if you can.”

She smiled, “Okay.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

He kissed her and moved up, easing her back against the couch until he lay over her. Her hands slid under his shirt and he smiled against her mouth. This was just like when they’d been in her room at her cousin’s house.

Except this time there was no dinner and no persnickety Mrs. Cabot to ruin things.

His hips rolled against hers, and she giggled a little, “Mac?”

He was already moving on down her neck, nibbling at the pulse racing along there. “Hmm?”

“The bedroom’s right down the hall, honey.”

“We have unfinished couch business.”

“We do?”

“M’hmm.” His lips found hers again and his hand skirted up her thigh. The frustrated sound she made when he started rubbing along her slit but didn’t move the panties out of the way was delicious. “See? Unfinished business.”

“You know I have no idea what you’re talking about, right?” She sounded irritated, but she also didn’t stop moving against his hand.

“That night. At Jack’s. Edward interrupted us.”

_ “Oh. _ Oh, right. Our second kiss.”

“Yeah, that.” He grinned down at her and her exasperated expression. “What?”

“I kinda thought we’d already finished that business in Diamond City, honey.”

“Nah, that was new business.”

“New business?”

“And this is old business.”

“Wait…” Nora blinked up at him, “Did Little Lamplight’s government follow Robert’s Rules of Order?”

“Of course we did.” How else would shit get done?

A look of wonder bloomed on her face and she smiled, “You are amazing, you know that? Absolutely amazing.”

She'd caught him off guard. Parliamentary procedure seemed like an odd thing to get hot and bothered about, but then, she  _ was _ a little odd sometimes. He soaked up the praise like a sponge though. “We also held proper elections. I mean, I took my office by force, but they kept voting me back in, you know. I was mayor from age seven until I left.”

“At sixteen?”

“That’s right.”

The awestruck look grew and she whispered reverently, “Nine years.”

“Yeah. Longest in Lamplight’s history.”

Her eyes dropped to his mouth and she squirmed under him, “Take me to bed. Please?”

“In a minute.  _ Dang.” _ Mac pushed her panties aside and this time, there was no hand to stop him. No stupid schedule they had to stick to. He pushed two fingers into her and laughed as she gasped. “Better?” When all she did was bite her lip and nod, he took pity on her and settled his mouth over hers.

He ground against her, his fingers working the same rhythm as his hips, and enjoyed the sweet, sweet torture of being inches away from being buried in her. The friction from his pants was a poor substitute, but he knew it would just be that much better when he finally sank into her. Anyway, it’s not like he had long to wait. She already had her nails digging into his back and the breathless little cries he was currently swallowing for her were turning desperate. He pressed against her clit with the heel of his hand and she arched up suddenly, shivering under him while her pussy pulsated around his fingers.

Mac grinned against her mouth and shushed her as she buried her head against his neck, little squeaks and muted whimpers escaping her. “Shhh, there it is. That’s my girl.”

“Please?”

He carefully slid his fingers out from her and kindly moved her panties back into place. “You probably want to go to bed now, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Bed does sound pretty good.” He rolled off the couch, just a little lightheaded, and helped her up, bringing her into a tight embrace. “Unless you want to bend over the counter for me again. I wouldn’t mind that.”

She giggled softly, “Next week. When Shaun’s in school.”

Her answer surprised him. He’d been expecting some kind of nonverbal, shocked chirp at the suggestion. Mac smiled at her, “Consider it on the agenda.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has anyone else ever thought about how much Mac is like Ben Wyatt from Parks & Rec?
> 
> Both were young mayors, both made big mistakes in their life that they're trying to make up for, both are incredibly sarcastic and snarky, both obsessed with money, both are nerds, and both are passionate.
> 
> They even kinda look alike.
> 
> It's weird.
> 
> (Also 'Cracker Jack' is a great song by Dolly Parton, and you can listen to it here: https://youtu.be/HiIB3IP5Ep0 )


	5. The Letter

“Knock knock!”

Mac shot Nora an aggravated look, which she either didn’t notice or was choosing to ignore, and got up from the breakfast table. Two weeks of this shit and he was about donezo.

“I said,  _ knock knock!” _

“I’m comin’! Sh-shoot.” He stomped over to the door and wrenched it open, glaring at Deacon, who barely spared him a second glance.

“There’s my girl!”

Nora smiled at him, “You walked here all by yourself today?”

“Hell yeah, I did!”

“Good job, honey!”

Mac stood back and let him shuffle in, a cane in each hand to help with the worryingly persistent weakness in his legs. “Yeah, that’s...what, five hundred yards? Pretty good.”

Deacon eased down into Mac’s recently vacated chair with a groan and then grinned, “I’ll be ready for the Olympics in no time!”

“Codsworth, would you mind getting him some coffee, please?”

“Right away, mum!”

It had only taken a day for Nora to ultimately forgive Deacon for whatever transgressions and shenanigans he’d put Curie through in her absence. The man’s natural charm combined with his desperate need for her affection had created a tidal wave of love and contrition that she’d been powerless to resist, apparently. Mac thought it was bullshit, himself. Curie was still pissed, X6 could barely stand to be in his presence, and Mac himself was getting irritated that his dream of days spent with Nora in bed while Shaun attended classes across the street were being cockblocked by their daily house guest.

Nora had taken over his physical therapy regimen, citing Curie and X6’s frustration and wanting to give them a break. ‘Caregiver fatigue’, she’d called it. ‘Tired of dealing with the same old bullshit’, more like. The same man who’d howled about torture and driven Curie to violence was now suddenly the perfect patient. He showed up every morning on time, dutifully let her help him through his exercises, and basked in her praise and attention like a lizard in the sun.

Spoiled fucking brat.

Shaun came bouncing around the corner and tossed his backpack towards the door. “Good morning! What’s for breakfast?”

“Gruel.”

“Oh, Papa Deacon, stop. It’s never been gruel.”

Mac rolled his eyes a little at the name and grabbed Shaun’s plate of eggs, toast and melon off the counter. Somehow, someway, Deacon had convinced Shaun that he was more a ‘papa’ than an uncle. They should really think about limiting his unsupervised visits.

“Well, you never know. It could be someday, and when that day arrives, you’ll be ready.”

Shaun grinned at him and wiggled happily in his chair when Mac set the plate down in front of him. “Oh, yay! I was hoping for toast!”

Deacon scoffed, “Who hopes for toast?”

Nora watched the boy slather on entirely too much mutfruit jelly onto his slice and laughed, “Someone who thinks of it as a jelly delivery system, of course.”

“Smart kid.” Deacon promptly drowned his toast in jelly, too, the second Codsworth set his plate down.

Mac sat back down and went back to nursing his coffee. “You got all your homework finished, right?”

“Yup!”

“Even the fractions?”

He made a face, “Yup...I hate fractions.”

“You can’t hate fractions! They’re so useful!”

“I dunno, Professor, I’m with him there. They’re pretty godawful.”

She huffed, “Oh, they are not. You use fractions every day and you don’t even realize it.” She pointed at his toast, “See? You always eat exactly one third of a thing before you move onto the next. That’s fractions. And when you plan out your day, you’re dividing what you have to do by how many hours you’ll have. That’s fractions. Even pouring milk into your coffee. Your brain says ‘This cup is five-sixths full and I’m going to add one sixth of cream and it’ll be perfect.’ That’s fractions.”

“I’m pretty sure that last one is just a matter of taste.”

She scowled at him before turning back to Shaun, “Don’t listen to him, honey. You’re genetically predisposed to be good at math. Just relax and let it come to you naturally.”

“I am?”

“Yes, Grandpa did computer programming and that’s all math. Plus, Daddy was very good at calculating trajectories and the like. That’s geometry.” She smiled at him, “And I myself quite enjoyed astronomy in college, and that’s all math, too...plus, you like music. Music’s math.”

His head tilted a little, “Yeah...yeah, I guess it is.”

“M’hmm. Finish your eggs.”

Deacon slurped some of the jelly off the top of his toast, “So what’s on the agenda for today, boss? Weight lifting? Maybe some mountain climbing?”

Nora laughed, “Almost, but I won’t be here today. Remember? I’m supposed to help Curie set up her new lab equipment.”

He frowned, “That’s going to take all day?”

“Probably. They’re all very sensitive apparatuses and it all came in from way down at the Mass Bay Medical Center. I’m sure everything will need to be repaired and calibrated before she can use anything.”

“What’s all this for again?” He was pretty sure she’d talked a lot about this before, but science stuff never seemed to stay in his brain like he wanted it to.

“Her experiment. She’s wants to compare the blood samples so she can see if there’s any similarities that successful...ah, breeders share.”

Deacon frowned at that, “I thought the blood samples were just for measuring things like iron levels or whatever.”

“That’s what her original plan was, but then we found this sequence analyzer.” She shrugged, “It’s a good idea. If we can narrow down exactly what genes keep some people fertile despite all the ambient radiation, she could possibly come up with some kind of therapy to help people who don’t have those genes. Curie says we have to get our numbers up if humanity is going to have a chance at survival.”

“Up how high?”

“The worst bottleneck in history reduced our worldwide population to maybe only ten thousand humans total. Now, of course, we have thousands of people here in the Commonwealth, but of those thousands, only a small percentage either can or wish to have children. According to Curie, it would be optimal if each woman capable of producing offspring had at least five for the foreseeable future.”

Mac choked on his coffee,  _ “Five?” _

Deacon chuckled, “Better get crackin’, Mac.”

“Ha ha.”

Nora smiled, “I think five is a little much personally, and it’s probably not feasible for most wastelanders. It takes a lot of resources to raise a child to adulthood and those resources just aren’t available yet. That’s part of why we’re working so hard on revitalization.”

“Right.” Jesus tap dancing Christ. Five kids? Two, maybe, would be fine, but  _ five? _ In one house? No. That was just nuts.

Shaun stuffed the last of his eggs in his mouth and downed his milk in one huge gulp. “Done!”

“Finished.”

“Finished!”

“Wash your hands and then you can go.”

“Okay!” He bounced away to the kitchen and good-naturedly endured Codsworth scrubbing his face clean on his way to the sink. “Thanks, Codsworth!”

“Of course, Master Shaun! We mustn’t parade about with food on our faces, hmm? What would your teachers think?”

“Probably that I ate breakfast, right?” He ran and grabbed his backpack before doubling back and planting a messy kiss on Nora’s cheek. “Bye, Mom!”

“Bye, honey.”

“Have a good day, kiddo!”

“I will, Papa D!”

Deacon grinned as he flew out the door. “That’s one hell of a boy we’ve got, Nora.”

Mac scowled at the assumption that Shaun was, in fact, partly his boy, but she just smiled.

“He certainly is.”

He scraped off most of the remaining jelly from his toast and took a bite. “So if you’re busy, who’s in charge today?”

“Me.” Mac raised his hand and felt practically gleeful at Deacon’s horrified look.

“No.”

“Yup.”

He pouted at Nora, “You do realize he’s gonna kill me.”

“Oh, of course he won’t.”

The pouting intensified, “What if it hurts? Who’s going to rub my back and sing to me?”

“Codsworth gives excellent massages.”

The Mister Handy waved a metal appendage at him and Deacon visibly paled, “Pass.”

Mac chuckled, “Come on, you big baby. It won’t be so bad...plus, there’s a surprise for you and everything.”

“Is the surprise a knife in the ribs?”

Nora tilted her head, “Why would it be a knife in the ribs?”

He went from suspicious to innocence incarnate. “I’m sure I have no idea.”

“Uh-huh.” Mac got up and pulled down a cardboard tube from the shelf. “Here.” He tossed it to him and Deacon frowned at the package.

“What’s this?”

“Courier came by. Said her name was Boxer...after she asked us about Geiger counters.” He watched him open the tube and pull out rolled up blueprints from inside. “She said Dez wanted your approval on some big project they’re working on.”

He frowned at the papers. “It’s...the library.”

Nora smiled, “That’s right. The Minutemen have officially given it to the Railroad as a symbol of our alliance and dedication to fighting ignorance.”

“You gave us the library?”

“Yes.”

“When did this go down? Where was I?”

“I sent for Drummer when we were still at the Castle and we hammered everything out. It was meant to be a present for  _ you, _ really. I know how much you’ve always loved the library.”

“Yeah...yeah, I...huh.” He finally looked up, “So what’s the Railroad supposed to do with this incredibly generous gift exactly?”

She grinned, “Well, now that the Institute is gone, PAM has reassessed the situation, and she says it’s no longer necessary for your HQ to be underground, so…”

“So you and Dez want to use the library as our HQ.”

“Yes.”

“Are you all sure that’s a good idea?”

“You’ll have a full company of Minutemen right across the plaza once we get Trinity up and running. There’s already a squadron posted there to keep the buildings clear while we’re working on refurbishment. So you should be perfectly safe. Also, having you guys be public like this will add respectability to being in the organization, and you can get your recruitment numbers up. Especially since Dez agreed that the Railroad’s focus has to shift a bit if it’s going to survive.”

He frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Well, there aren’t new synths being made anymore, right? So instead of rescue and liberation, you guys are already working more towards integration and keeping anti-synth movements squashed. But eventually, that’ll be over, too...hopefully. So Dez wants to start helping human slaves as well.”

“You actually got her to agree to that?”

“Well, it was that or the Railroad would cease to have a purpose in about twenty years, at the most. She saw the sense in it. It wasn’t hard to convince her.”

He huffed, “For you, maybe. I’ve been trying to get her to green light shit like this  _ forever.” _

“I know. She was just really focused on the cause, but...well, there’s always another fight to win, right? Saving souls is still the core mission, and now that you’re officially tied to the Minutemen, we can support each other openly. No more having to sneak around. You won’t have to pretend to be a Minuteman anymore.”

“Sneaking around was the fun part.”

“But you always said you hated the hats.”

“That’s true.” Deacon considered the blueprints again. “I guess it would be nice to have all this space.”

“Carrington said he’s going to take the downstairs study rooms as a proper infirmary, so if you have your office upstairs…”

“I won’t ever have to see him at all!” He looked up and grinned at her. “You are the best friend a guy could ever have. I ever tell you that?”

She nodded, “Yes, several times.” Her eyes darted to the clock, “Oh! I have to go. Curie’s waiting for me.” Nora got up and dropped a kiss on Deacon’s head, “Be good for Mac and Codsworth. Please. For me?”

“Alright, alright.”

Mac also stood and kissed her cheek, “Home for lunch?”

“Yup.”

“Okay. Don’t work too hard.” He watched her go and turned back to the table, frowning at the smug expression on Deacon’s face. “What?”

“House husband.”

He rolled his eyes, “I’m just off duty today. Everyone on watch rotates so nobody gets too tired.”

“Must be nice to be a kept man.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty freaking great, actually.”

Deacon chuckled and carefully rolled up his blueprints. “We aren’t really doing this, are we? I mean...if you think I’m actually going to let you jerk me around all day, you’re nuts. I might not be able to get around like I used to, but I can still take you.”

“Uh-huh.” Mac pushed the couch out of the way and moved the coffee table.

“I’m serious, kid.”

Codsworth floated over, “Shall I assist you, sir?”

He grinned at the way Deacon’s face suddenly went a little slack. “Forgot I had backup, huh?”

“Fine,” he grumbled. “Let’s get this over with.”

An hour later and Deacon was sprawled out face down on the couch, groaning. “Everything fucking hurts.”

Mac sat in a chair opposite from him and shrugged, “So take something, man. Even if you start babbling every secret you’ve ever had, it’s not like Codsworth or I are gonna rat you out.”

“It’s the principle of the thing.”

He sighed, “Then stop complaining...you wanna watch a movie or something?” Nora had stressed that the cool down period after Deacon’s exercises was as important as the exercises themselves. The damaged nerves needed time to remember how things were supposed to work, and his back would be extra delicate following the stretching and flexing he had to be put through. Keeping him still and occupied was the part Curie and X6 had always had difficulties with.

“Yeah. Get one of Nora’s home movies. I like those best.”

Mac frowned, “Her what?”

Deacon’s head came up just a little to look at his face and he grinned, insufferably obnoxious. “Oh, man. You’ve never seen them, have you?”

“The heck is a home movie?”

His grin widened, “Codsworth!”

“Sir?”

“Go grab that holo bin Nora keeps in the hall closet.”

“Yes, sir.”

He looked positively gleeful, “Just wait. You’re gonna freak out. Turn on the TV so it can warm up.”

Mac scowled, but flipped it on anyway. “I don’t see what I’m gonna freak out about. I’ve seen movies before.”

Codsworth came floating back in, carrying a small bin. “This one, sir?”

“Yeah! Take out uh...hmm...oh! The one from that Junior League horse show she did. I think it’s from…”

“2072, sir.”

“That’s right! 2072!” He gave Mac a wink over his shades, “She was around your age in this one. You just wait, it’s gonna knock your socks off.”

He took the holo from Codsworth and slipped it into the slot on the front of the TV. “Alright…” He sat down on the coffee table and stared at the screen.

Nothing but static for a moment, and then the image of a bright, sunny day. Looked like someplace out away from the city. Men and women in pre-war fashions milled around and Mac was surprised to see Emogene wave at the camera.

“Hey. That’s Emogene.”

Deacon chuckled, “Yeah, Jack filmed a lot of these.”

The Emogene of yesteryear still looked as bored as ever, but maybe a little less sharp around the edges than the current one. “Ellie’s doing dressage today, right?”

“That’s right!” Jack’s excited voice came from behind the camera.

“I think it’s this way, Miss Emogene.” The camera panned over a little and Mac blinked at the tall, debonair looking man dressed in a tasteful suit who appeared, chivalrously taking Emogene’s arm. The voice was familiar and it took him a second to match it to the person onscreen.

“Holy sh-cow. Is that  _ Edward?” _

“Yup.”

The picture jiggled around a bit. Clearly Jack was enthused about whatever was coming. “Edward! There you are! Which arena is it?”

“Two.”

“Oh, marvelous!”

The camera suddenly cut out and when the picture came back, they were indoors somewhere. Almost looked like if you put the baseball diamond that made up Diamond City under a roof. A huge group of people were seated, murmuring quietly to one another and all staring down at a large open expanse of dirt. Weird.

“What’s this?”

“Nora was a member of this service organization called the Junior League. They did horse shoes and dances and whatever to raise money for stuff.”

“Huh.”

A gate at the side of the arena opened and a tall, dappled grey horse entered. It’s rider was instantly recognizable to Mac, even before Jack zoomed way, way in, and he scooted a little closer to the screen.

“Hey, that’s Nora.”

“Yup.”

She looked confident and focused, even as the huge animal under her pranced to the center of the ring. The costume she had on was kind of ridiculous, with its tall hat and fitted jacket with tails, but she somehow pulled it off. Mac couldn’t take his eyes off her as she quieted her horse before tipping her hat to the row of judges.

“Competitor 513, Miss Ellie Jo Cabot, on Dutchman’s Jasper. Rider, you may take the field.” There was polite applause and a bell somewhere rang.

Mac watched in fascination as the horse moved across the dirt while Nora sat quietly in the saddle, oddly still for her. “Oh, my God...she taught a horse how to dance.”

Deacon snorted, “That’s the sport, kiddo.”

He couldn’t understand how the man couldn’t be awestruck by this. “I mean...I knew horses could run and jump and whatever, but I didn’t know they could  _ dance.” _

“Nora says some horses could even count.”

“Whoa.” The big grey was doing some kind of complicated bounce thing. “What’s it doing now?”

“Something called the piaffe.”

“Oh.” He finally managed to tear his eyes off the screen to look at Deacon over his shoulder, “Does she have any more tapes like this?”

He grinned, “A whole closet full.”

“Got any big plans for the afternoon?” He grinned back.

“I do now.”

They were well into their second hour of devouring her tapes when there was a knock on the door.

“Aw, man.” Mac reluctantly got up, trying to keep his eyes on the screen while he answered. Nora was on a boat somewhere with her cousins, way out in the middle of the ocean, trying to fish for something that required a wench to pull up and he didn’t want to miss a moment of it. “Yeah, alright. I’m comin’!”

“Take your time.”

Mac finally blinked. That was Hancock’s voice. He opened the door and smiled at his friend, “Hey, did you know Nora has all these movies from before the war?”

He sauntered in and glanced at the TV, “Oh, yeah.” His eyes finally found Deacon still lying prone on the couch and he frowned a little. “Deacon.”

“Hancock.”

“I thought you weren’t visiting for another couple of weeks, man. What brings you back to --” He abruptly stopped talking as his friend pulled out a letter from his coat.

Hancock held it up, “Daisy said I should bring it right away.”

Mac took it and stared at the envelope. “Just one?” He’d never gotten just one. Bryan always sent a status update and then a second, more personal letter that usually held drawings from Duncan. He could feel his chest constrict and his vision started tunneling.

Deacon managed to pull himself up enough to sit properly, “Whoa, hey, now. Don’t panic, kid. It doesn’t mean anything on its own.” When Mac just sat down at the kitchen table and kept staring at the envelope, his eyes met Hancock’s. “Nora’s at the hospital. Go get her.”

“Yup.” He took off at a run and didn’t bother closing the door behind him.

“Deep breaths, Mac. Codsworth, get him some water.”

“Right, sir.”

He struggled up with the help of his canes and came to sit across from him. “Hey.  _ Hey.” _ His fingers snapped right in front of Mac’s face and he finally looked up. “It’s okay. Whatever it says, you’re going to get through it.”

There were tears gathering in his eyes that he couldn’t blink away. It was such a small letter. Couldn’t be more than one page. Good news never came with just one page. “Yeah.” A glass of water appeared next to him and Codsworth’s anxious hovering somehow made it that much worse. He closed his eyes and set his forehead down on the table. Someone’s hand rested on his head, gently petting his hair and he tried to focus on how soothing it was.

Nora slid into the door jam and ricocheted into the house, breathless and panting. “What is it? What’s happened?”

Mac couldn’t lift his head, just held up the letter wordlessly.

She came over and her hand joined Deacon’s on his head. “Have you opened it?”

When he couldn’t answer, the agent stepped in. “Not yet.”

“It’s gonna be alright, brother.” Hancock sat next to him and put a comforting arm around his shoulders.

Nora sat on the other side and gently took the letter from his hand. “Would you like me to open it?” She waited for his nod before carefully peeling up the wax. “What an odd seal...‘RC’ with...what are those behind it? Waves, maybe? What is that?”

Deacon answered for him again, “Rivet City.”

Mac took a shuddering breath, “Bryan’s aunt runs the Waverly Hotel there.”

“Oh...clever name for a hotel on a ship.” She unfolded the letter and their friends sat in silence, watching her face and sharing a look of worry when her eyes filled with tears. “Mac.”

His head finally came up and he stared bleakly at her. “Yes?”

She smiled brilliantly, “It worked. Duncan’s waiting for you, honey. It’s time.”

His eyes grew wide and took the letter from her, frowning at the odd block letters. “That’s not Bryan’s handwriting.”

Nora leaned over a bit and pointed at the bottom, “It’s signed with a ‘C’.”

“Charon.” Mac started laughing, “Charon wrote it. Of course.” He’d never heard the man say more than two sentences at a time together. It all made perfect sense.

Deacon chuckled at him, “Well, don’t keep us waiting, what’s it say?”

“Duncan is cured. Come get him.”

Hancock snorted, “Shit. Man of few words, huh?”

He chortled, “Yeah. Yeah, he is.”

“Codsworth, I think a toast is in order. Can you grab some beer from the fridge?”

“Of course, mum!” He hovered a little closer to Mac, “And may I say, Mister MacCready, I  _ greatly _ look forward to your son joining our happy little family here.”

“Yeah, thanks, Codsworth. Me, too.” He couldn’t stop grinning. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it worked!”

Nora checked the envelope and sighed a little, “I wish he’d said if Duncan was back to his full strength or not, too. I know Jack was wondering.”

Deacon accepted his beer and shrugged, “I’m sure it all worked just fine. Duncan’s a scrapper. He’s a MacCready, after all. They’re tough little buggers.”

“You’ve never even met him, honey.”

“I know his father though, don’t I?” He held up his beer, “Congratulations, Mac.”

“Yes, congratulations!”

“Congrats, brother.”

“Thanks! Thanks, everybody, I...I don’t even…”

Hancock gave up waiting and clinked his bottle against his before taking a sip, “Yeah, we know.”

Nora smiled at him, “Curie’s going to be so excited!”

Deacon grinned at that,  _ “I’m _ so excited! This means I get my Nurse Nora fix full time now!”

The ghoul frowned at him, “Your what now?”

His grin grew for just a moment, “Hey, know what I just realized?”

“What?”

“It’s been ages since you and I have had a boy’s night!”

“We’ve never --”

“Yeah, I’ve been really hankering for one. How about tonight?”

The dark eyes narrowed suspiciously, “Tonight?”

“We’ll bring Shaun!”

Hancock’s eyes slid to Nora, who had started nervously picking at the label on her beer bottle. “Ah...right. Yeah. Boy’s night. Sounds good.”

“Gentlemen only!”

“Yeah.”

She sighed a little and finally looked up, “You should take Mac. Celebrate in style.”

Deacon scoffed, “Didn’t you hear what I said?  _ Gentlemen _ only.”

Mac glared at him for a minute before he finally caught up to what they were planning. He looked at Hancock, who nodded, and smiled a little. Awfully nice of them to clear the field like this for him. “I bet Shaun would love that.”

Her head tilted, “Don’t you want to go, too?”

“Nah, this will give me time to um...pack.”

“Oh, right. Okay...well...I should go let Curie know. When do you think you’ll be leaving?”

“Tomorrow.”

“T-tomorrow?” She blinked for a moment before giving him a wobbly smile. “Oh, of course. That’s...that’s exactly what I would do.” She stood and passed her still full bottle back to Codsworth. “I’ll be back later.”

They watched her go and Mac called out when she got to the door. “You’re coming back for lunch, right?”

Nora barely paused, “No time. If you’re going tomorrow, Curie will need to get everything set up and then she’ll have to show me how to keep things running while you’re gone, so...I can’t.”

“Baby…”

She shook her head and headed out, “I can’t.”

He sighed, “Shit.”

Deacon clicked his tongue at him, “Language.”

“She’ll be alright, Mac. Don’t worry about it. As long as she can keep moving, she’s alright.”

“Yeah.” He probably should have waited and discussed when he was leaving before blurting it out like that, but time was of the essence. The sooner he left, the sooner he could get back and the faster they’d be married and together forever for real.

The agent struggled to stand up, and stretched a little, making a face when his back popped. “Well, I’m heading back for a nap. You wanna bring the kid over around eight? Have a sleep over in the hospital?”

Hancock chuckled, “Weird boy’s night, but okay.”

“Hey, Deacon, thanks for that. I really appreciate --”

“Pssh. Didn’t do it for you, squirt. I did it for her.”

“Yeah, I figured. Still appreciate it though.”

Hancock and Mac watched him shuffle out and Codsworth floated after, a silent attendant at his back just in case.

“I’m sorry you’re going to have to spend the night with that.”

The mayor laughed, “It’s alright. I’ve been through worse...maybe.”

Mac stared down at the letter and took a deep breath, “I need to talk to you about something.”

He moved over to the couch and flopped down on it, laying back with his hat over his face. “Shoot.”

“Try not to fall asleep cause it’s important.”

“I’m all ears, kid. Hit me.”

“Alright.” He moved over to the nearby chair and perched on the edge. “I need you to promise me you’ll look after Nora while I’m gone.”

Hancock chuckled, “Already planned on it.”

“Say it though. Please? It’ll make me feel better.”

He sighed, “I promise I’ll look after Sunshine while you’re gone. There. Happy now?”

Mac could already feel the weight on his shoulders lift by just a hair. “Thank you...also, if something goes wrong--”

“Nope. Not gonna happen.”

“But if it  _ does --” _

“Kid, I ain’t talkin’ about this.”

“John.”

That got his attention. The ghoul tilted his hat up so he could take in Mac’s earnest expression. “Yeah, alright.”

“If something goes wrong...if I’m not back by Christmas at the absolute latest…” He looked down at his hands. “I don’t want her to be stuck worrying about me forever. I need you to make her understand that sometimes people don’t come back from trips like this.”

“I’m sure she knows already. Her husband was in the service or whatever, right?”

“This is different though.”

He sighed, “Yeah. I guess it is.”

“You said she was alright so long as she keeps moving, right? I need you to swear that you’ll keep her moving for me, even if I’m...if I’m not coming back.”

Hancock sat up and stared at him hard, “The fuck are you trying to say, Mac?”

“She could be happy with you, is all, and I want her to be happy. So...if something goes wrong, and I can’t get home...no guilt, man. Whatever happens, you have my blessing, or whatever.” He shook his head, “The thought of her just...stuck in some kind of loop forever is just…”

He scowled at him, “She’s not a toy you can just bequeath somebody.”

“I know. I know that. She’s gonna do whatever she wants to do. I just...don’t get all noble and weird about stuff, alright? If I’m really gone and you’ve got a shot, you should take it. That’s all I’m saying.”

“You’re fuckin’ nuts.”

“That’s probably true.”

“She’s not into me like that.”

Mac smiled a little, “We both know she could be. I mean, you’re the ghoul who’s turned...how many Brotherhood soldiers is it now?”

He grinned wickedly. He’d made a game out of how many of those pissant ghoul-haters he could seduce since about five minutes after the Prydwen showed up last year. Every one that fell to his charms was, in his eyes, another feather in Goodneighbor’s cap. “Twenty-three. Almost twenty-four, but he passed out before the festivities could begin.”

“Yeah, okay, twenty-three. You’ve sweet talked twenty-three bigots  _ so far _ into your bed. I’m pretty sure you could convince Nora if you really wanted to.”

His grin faded a bit, “Yeah...yeah, I probably could. Never really wanted it to go down like that with her though.”

He shook his head, “You can’t wait for her when it comes to stuff like that. I’m pretty sure she didn’t even think of me that way until she saw me with my pants down.”

Hancock blinked at him, “Do what now?”

Deacon shuffled up the stairs to the hospital and paused to look back at Nora’s home, huffing a little at how close it seemed. It sure felt a lot fucking farther when every step was agony. He waved Codsworth off and entered the building alone, the comforting murmur of swift French and tinkering filling his ears.

He didn’t bother trying to translate. What he could catch was all technical mumbo-jumbo related to Curie’s new toys anyway. No fun in that.

Then again, fun was in pretty short supply these days.

His feet eventually took him to the large room dedicated to her laboratory and he poked his head in, “Good morning, ladies.”

Curie’s head came up over a bank of machinery and she huffed at him.

Nora was a little happier to see him and managed a smile, “Hey.”

“Hey, sweetheart. How you holding up?”

“Fine. I’m fine.” She wouldn’t look at him anymore and hid back inside one of the machines, banging around with a screwdriver.

Yeah, fine. Sure.

He came in and sank gratefully down onto a chair, “Still can’t lie for shit.” She sighed irritably and he grinned and lit a cigarette. “Hey, Curie, can we have the room for a minute?”

“But I have so much work to --”

“Just for a minute.”

More rapid fire French, too quiet to really catch. His name, said repeatedly throughout, gave him a rough idea anyway. Finally Curie stood and slammed her own screwdriver down on a desk before sniffing prissily at him and stomping from the room.

Oh, sure. Everything was completely fine here.

He let the silence stretch on while he smoked. With anyone else, he’d have immediately begun wheedling answers out of them, but Nora was different. If you just sat still enough, remained patient, eventually her own anxiety over being polite and sociable would overwhelm her and she’d come to you. He’d picked that up their first day out.

So he just sat, nothing but the quiet ambient noise of electricity humming through ancient wires and her occasionally scooting along inside the ridiculously large machine she was busy fixing, finding a better position for whatever work she was doing.

All this science crap had always been just a bit beyond him, really. Not because it was too hard, but just because it was too boring for his tastes. The only time it was ever interesting was when Nora was explaining something to him in that excitable way of hers, all sweeping gestures and sparkling eyes. Like Tinker without the madness and annoying, fantastical theories.

He kind of missed the old days, when the only people he’d really had to share her with were his Railroad associates. Back then, he could be as selfish as he wanted. Keep her busy and away from HQ and have her all to himself whenever he liked.

Nowadays though, it was hard to get five minutes alone with her.

Almost made him feel guilty. Here she was, clearly upset at the prospect of Mac being gone, and all he could think about was how nice it was going to be pretending to be the only man in her life again...save Shaun, of course.

Actually looking forward to playing house with his favorite girl in the world. God, he was pathetic. He was nearly fully done with his cigarette before she finally peeked over the console at him. Checking to see if he was still there no doubt.

Deacon smiled gently at her, “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“How are you really?”

Her face scrunched up, crumpling the way it did whenever she was trying to hide her emotions. She shook her head and tears filled her eyes.

“That bad, huh?” He tossed his cigarette and opened his arms. “Come here.”

Nora stood and came over, looking contrite and nervous, her fingers twisting around each other. When she stood in front of him, he tugged her down, letting her settle on her knees and hugging her to his chest tightly. The tears started almost as soon as his arms were around her and he rocked back and forth.

“Shh, it’s alright. It’s gonna be alright. Mac’s tough and the road to DC isn’t so bad. It really isn’t. If this old man can make it, he certainly can.”

She shook her head silently and he frowned.

“Not worried about that, huh?”

“No, I am.”

“But that’s not the worst part, is it?”

“No.”

“Hmm...let’s see if I can guess.”

She grumbled, “I hate it when you guess things.”

“Are you worried he’ll be abducted by slavers?”

“No.”

“Aliens?”

Her irritated huff actually brought a smile to his face, “Of course not.”

“You don’t think he’s going to run off with somebody else, do you? Because even Mac’s not that stupid.”

“No!”   


Damn straight. If the kid ever pulled a stunt like that, Deacon would hunt him down personally and make poor little Duncan an orphan.

“So what is it?” She shook her head and fell silent again and he sighed. So this was something about her then. She was ashamed of something...probably of being upset in the first place. He’d noticed, and hated, how hard she always was on herself. Any fault, no matter how minor, she’d punish herself over it like it was some major character flaw. “You’re allowed to be upset that he’s leaving, you know.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Sure you are.”

“I knew this was coming.”

“Yeah.”

“And I know how important it is.”

“Of course you do. No one can understand it better.”

“But I don’t want him to go!”

“Well, yeah --”

“How can I be this selfish?”

Jesus Christ. He’d never encountered a more selfless human being in his entire fucking life. “Hey, yeah, I’m supposed to be the selfish one. That’s my job. Back off.”

“No, you’re not.”

Deacon ran a hand over her hair, pointedly ignoring how silky soft it felt. That’s how you had to be with her if you wanted to remain friends. Just had to purposefully blind yourself to all her charms and focus on how gross she could sometimes be. All those honest emotions and sappy pure intentions and whatnot. The Pavlovian response most felt in her presence (the hind-brain never truly forgot the first fantasy girl you jerked it to, after all) could be broken, it just took serious effort and an unwavering belief that she was meant for a better man than you could ever possibly hope to be. He had that shit on lockdown by now.

“You better not be getting snot all over my shirt again.”

She sniffled, “I’m not.”

“Alright, good.”

“I’m sorry...you’re probably uncomfortable and want to go lay down, right?” She leaned back a little and looked up at him, sweet devotion and that addictive unconditional love he’d somehow cultivated in her written all over her face. “Do you want me to help you get in bed?”

He still had a hand on the back of her head, fingers still threaded through her hair. Anywhere else, _anyone_ else, that kind of question and this kind of position and he’d…

But this was Nora, and the blind faith and trust she’d always had in him was like an impenetrable shield that kept her safe from his less noble intentions. If he’d been ten years younger, and hadn’t already blown his chances at real happiness multiple times over, _maybe._ He’d still have felt guilty as hell, but maybe.

Some days it was hard enough to accept that she thought of him as her bestest friend in the whole wide world. Being this close to a source of goodness and light made him feel even dirtier than he already was. God knew he didn’t need to add any more levels to their relationship than that. He wasn’t sure he could even survive it.

Deacon let his hand fall to her shoulder and smiled at her, “No. I want you to talk to me, okay?”

She looked away but nodded, “Okay.”

“I’m sure Mac’s upset, too. It’s a hard place to be in. Complicated. But that’s alright. Sometimes life is just like that. You’re happy he gets to go get Duncan, too, right?”

“Of course I am.”

“But sad that he has to go?”

“Yes.”

“That’s okay. Feeling two things at once is perfectly natural, Nora. People do it all the time.”

She frowned, “I usually don’t.”

“Oh, sure you do.” He rolled his eyes a little. She always pretended to be so above feeling any kind of unpleasant human emotions when she was the squishiest person he’d ever met in his whole damn life. “You compartmentalize like a champ is all. I’ve seen you do it. Your brain says ‘nope, not dealing with that today’ and just shuts it down. But you’re still feeling it, whether you want to admit it or not.”

Her frown deepened but she didn’t try to argue. Out loud anyway. “I wish I could go with him.”

Don’t we all. “Yeah, I know...but a few months is a long time to leave Shaun.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s going to be fine, sweetheart. They’ll be back before you know it.”

“I guess.”

“Just...do that weird thing you do. The time thing. Like you used to do at the dentist.”

“In an hour this will all be over?”

“Yeah.”

Her method for getting through life’s little annoyances had always impressed the hell out of him. Look at the clock, pick a time and decide things would be alright by that time. Then just disassociate yourself until you were barely there at all and quietly endure whatever hardship you had to get over. Amazing. Shit would probably be crazy useful in a kidnapping/torture situation.

Not that he’d ever let anyone get close enough to her for that. Even wounded and borderline useless like he still was, he’d tear apart anyone who tried. With his teeth, if necessary.

“It’s going to take a little more than an hour, honey.”

“Okay, so...Halloween. By Halloween, this will all be over. You’ll have your happy family just like you always wanted and the two of you can watch Shaun and Duncan grow up together. How’s that?”

She smiled, actually smiled, and his heart leapt in his chest. “That sounds like a dream.”

“So live in the dream, angelface. Just...let everything else go.”

Nora nodded, “Okay.”

“And we’ll keep real busy while they’re gone. I promise.”

She sighed, “Busy with what?”

He seized upon the first thing that came into his head. “Building your new house.”

“My new what?”

“New house. You can’t possibly have two rambunctious boys in that little tin home of yours. They’ll tear the walls down.”

Her head tilted, clear interest growing in her eyes. “That’s...true, isn’t it?”

Deacon grinned, “Yeah, it is! It’s totally true!” Most people grew up four or more people to a one room shack, or worse, but he wasn’t going to point that out.

“They’ll need their own space.”

“Definitely.”

“Growing boys and all that.”

“Exactly...and privacy. Privacy is very important to a growing boy.”

She nodded, “You’re absolutely right.”

Man, he’d never get tired of hearing that. “Heck yeah, I am.”

“It should be four bedrooms, at least...with an office.”

“Breakfast nook.”

“And some kind of underground shelter, too, just in case.”

“Three bathrooms...an  _ en suite. _ Walk-in closets.”

“We’ll need a proper workshop, too.”

“Shaun’s a bright kid. Probably going to need a lab to boot.”

“Two stories. Our room on the bottom and the kids upstairs for safety.”

“Big ol’ kitchen. Double ovens!”

“Oh! I’ve _always_ wanted double ovens!”

“And a porch! For sittin’.”

“Yes!” She was sparkling like a firecracker now and he loved it. “Oh! It’ll be just beautiful!”

He grinned, “Let’s not tell Mac. It can be a surprise for when he gets home.”

“Oh...oh, is that alright, though? Shouldn’t he have a say in it?”

He waved a hand as if Mac’s opinion was of no importance. Which it wasn’t. To him, anyway. “He’ll love anything you build and we’ll keep him in mind the whole time. Give him a tiny little hole somewhere all covered in rocks and he’ll be happy like the little rat he is.”

“Deacon, really now.”

“Or maybe a lookout roost on the roof?”

Her face went from mild admonishment back to twinkly excitement in a flash. “Oh, that’d be  _ perfect  _ for him!”

He soaked it all in for a moment and then patted her on the head, “Then get back to work, missy. Faster you get all this done, faster you can give him a proper sendoff and we can get down to business.”

Curie’s appeared as if by magic in the doorway.  _ “Bien. _ I have sufficiently calmed down. I am ready to get back to work.” She frowned at Nora and Deacon still partly entangled, “You should really go have a rest, Monsieur Deacon. If you strain your back, I will  _ not _ stay behind to help fix it.”

Just twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours and she’d be all his again. For a few months, at least. Deacon smiled his brilliant movie star smile at Curie. The one that used to make her go all starry eyed at him. It was somehow way funnier now that it just made her look more cranky.

_ “Oui, m'dame.” _ Nora stood and he let her help him up, too. “Thanks, Professor...maybe I’ll draw out some ideas while I’m busy doing nothing. Give us a head start.”

Curie’s eyes narrowed with suspicion, “A head start?”

Nora smiled happily, “It’s a surprise.”

“Not about my experiment though?”

“No, of course not.”

“Ah. _ C’est bon. _ Then I do not care.”


	6. One Last Time

By the time Nora opened the front door, it was already well past dinnertime. Mac was sitting at the table, a cold plate of Codsworth’s finest Yankee roast in front of him. He watched her fidget awkwardly for a minute. There was grease on her shirt and a few smudges on her face. Whatever work she and Curie had been up to had taken all day.

“Hey.”

“I’m late.”

He shrugged as if he hadn’t just spent an hour and a half with his ass in an uncomfortable chair waiting for her, “No big deal.”

“I’m sorry.” She either wouldn’t or couldn’t look at him.

“It’s fine...you get Curie all squared away?”

She nodded, “Yes, her equipment is all set up and I helped her pack.”

“Oh, good.”   


“Did you need help --”

“Already packed.”

“Oh.” Her hands fluttered at her side like wounded birds before she finally brought them together, her fingers twisting around each other. “I...um…”

He hated seeing her like this. Already anxious and he hadn’t even left yet. “Baby, it’s okay.”

“I-I should clean up. I’m…” She held up her hands and he pretended he didn’t seem them trembling. “I’m dirty, so…”

Mac said nothing as she fled into the bathroom. He’d hoped...well, he’d hoped a lot of things that were probably impossible. That she’d be okay with this. That her excitement over Duncan joining them would somehow override her anxiety about his trip. That she wouldn’t suffer as much as she was clearly going to.

There was no way in hell she was going to be steady enough to sit at the table and eat. He should have known better. Mac grumbled under his breath and collected their dishes, moving the entire dinner to the living room and arranging it on the coffee table. An indoor picnic was probably less stressful, right? Less worrying over social convention and being polite for her.

He knew he could always take the easy way out. Follow her into the bathroom and pin her against a wall. Overwhelm her bodily so it silenced the incessant worrying in her mind. It was tempting. Sorely tempting, even. But if he went that route, they’d just get carried away like usual and then she wouldn’t eat and she’d already skipped lunch. He wasn’t going to let her get away with missing dinner, too.

Twenty minutes later, he heard the water finally turn off and headed for the door, knocking quietly.

“Nora?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t bother getting dressed, baby. Just put your robe on and come on out.”

“Oh...okay.”

He waited a couple more minutes and she finally opened the door, freshly scrubbed and pink-cheeked. Mac smiled at her, “Hi.”

“Hey.”

“Have a good cry?”

She ducked her head, “How’d you know?”

“Your eyes are red, sweetheart.”

“Oh.”

Mac took her hand and lead her over to the couch, “Come on. You’ll feel better once you’ve eaten.”

She followed easily enough but shook her head as she sat. “I don’t know if I can.”

“Sure you can. We’ll go slow, okay?” He cut off a small bite of roast and held it up. “Here. Open up.”

Nora stared at the fork in his hand for a moment, before taking in the stubborn determination evident on his face and sighed heavily, dutifully opening her mouth and eating the piece.

“Oh, good. You’re going to cooperate for once. I was worried I’d have to start making vertibird noises or something.”

She chewed, swallowed and frowned at him. “What?”

He held up another bite. “Thwapata thwapata thwapata, here comes the vertibird! It’s coming in for a landing!”

Another bite was popped into her mouth and she tried to not laugh with her mouth full. “People used to do a train or an airplane for that.”

“Well, we don’t have those around nowadays. I dunno how they sounded.”

“Trains went chugga chugga chugga choo-choo and airplanes went like...whirrrrr.”

He snorted, “That’s ridiculous.” He waited for her to open her mouth to argue before getting in another bite. “It’s pretty good, right?”

“M’hmm.”

“Think you can do it yourself now?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, good.” He passed her the plate and took his own, balancing it on his lap and waiting until she ate a piece on her own before he started on his. “I had a bite when it was hot, but I actually think it’s better cold.”

“Roast always is.”

“Hmm.”

She managed to get half of everything down, except the so-called succotash. Mac wasn’t sure what it was actually supposed to be, but he was almost positive it wasn’t meant to taste as much like dirt as it did. He only managed half a bite of it himself, and he was actually happy to eat. He couldn’t very well fuss at her for leaving it, too. Instead he wordlessly took her plate away after watching her push the vegetable mixture around for a good minute.

Once there was nothing to focus on but each other again, Mac pulled her against him, snuggling back into the couch and letting her lay on his chest while he finger combed her wet hair. It took a few minutes, but she eventually relaxed against him.

“How’re we doing, baby?”

“Okay.”

“That’s a lie. I thought you never told lies.”

“I’m sorry.”

Mac chuckled, “Nah, it’s alright...this kinda happened fast for you, huh?”

“I knew it would.”

“Sure, but knowing and actually going through it are two different things, right?”

“I guess.”

“It’s going to be okay.”

“I know.”

“I’m going to come home with Duncan and we’ll never, ever be apart again. I promise.”

“Okay.”

He tried to not sigh in frustration. Even if he couldn’t feel them soaking through his shirt, he could clearly hear the tears in her voice. She was still trying hard to be as pleasant as possible when what she really needed was to angry-cry all over him and get it out. He knew she’d never do that though. Codsworth had talked about giving him a proper send-off and how Mum had always seen Sir off with a smile and he’d realized this was one of those stupid pre-war things that she’d been programmed with. To stamp down whatever she was feeling and smile and wave and pretend like she wasn’t dying inside.

“So the trip from here to there is pretty interesting. Did you ever drive down to Washington when you went?”

“No.”

“Ah, then you dunno what a joy old I-95 can really be...of course, it’ll be a couple of days before we can really get on it. The Glowing Sea kinda swallows it up for a bit, but after that, it’s not so bad.”

“What road do you take before I-95?”

Mac smiled to himself. He knew mapping it out for her would help. She could probably pinpoint exactly where he’d be on which day and feel better about the whole thing. “Well, we start off hugging the coast. It’s risky, especially now cause of the storms coming in off the Atlantic, but you gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”

“Right.”

“So the caravan starts on I-93 heading south until we get to this big interchange. Then we head east on — ”

“Pilgrims Highway.”

“Well...they just call it Grims Way now, but yeah.”

“Is it scary?”

“Nah. Not really. Bunch of mirelurk nests and the occasional deathclaw, but it’s really not bad. The caravans keep the road mostly clear anyway.”

“Oh.”

“Then we doubleback west on I-44 — ”

“Does it have a new name, too?”

“Nah, it’s just 44...we follow it until we hit Providence.”

“Providence is still there?”

“Sure. I mean, sorta, I guess? It’s mostly abandoned, but there’s a small trade hub there. That’s probably the first place we’ll take a real break at. Eat, sleep, get resupplied, pick up and drop off a few people, and then get on I-95 proper.”

“It follows the coast, right?”

“Yeah, for the most part. Usually it’s a few miles inland.” He scowled, “It’s wet. A  _ lot. _ When you aren’t dealing with the stupid storms, you’ve got endless freaking marshland. There’s a few groups of raiders that make that area their home. Mostly idiots… but there’s also a place called The Preserve that’s pretty nice. The people there are kind of like the Children of Atom, but they worship irradiated nature instead of radiation itself.”

“In Connecticut, right?”

“I guess...was The Preserve a thing in your time, too?”

“It was a nature preserve...like a giant park.”

“Oh. Well, that makes sense then.”

“What do they call themselves?”

“The Preservationists, of course.” He smiled at her exasperated laugh. “Original, right?”

“M’hmm.”

“After that, you hit Haven.”

“New Haven?”

“I dunno...it doesn’t look that new. Another trade hub. Lots of science types and they’re kinda...snotty, I guess? Rude to outsiders but they’ll take your caps quick enough.”

“That’s where Yale University used to be.”

“Yeah, it’s still there, but it’s a little town now.”

“I wonder if the libraries survived.”

“No idea. Anyway, they don’t let anybody who wasn’t born there in, so...who knows?”

“Elitists even now.”

“Yup. Then we go down a ways, until we hit the old border.”

“New York.”

“Right. Now, I-95 goes straight through the Apple, but you can’t go that way.”

“Why not?”

“Well, most of it is all underwater and what isn’t underwater is infested with ferals and super mutants.”

“Oh.”

“But that isn’t the worst of it. Rumor says that’s where the last remnants of a group called the Enclave are headquartered.”

“What’s the Enclave?”

“They’re...okay, like, you know how the Brotherhood was started by a guy who defected from the military?”

“Right. At Mariposa in California. He saw the experiments they were doing and couldn’t be a part of it anymore, so he staged a coup. I read about it in the Codex Danse gave me.”

“Yeah, which was a huge deal back then, right?”

“Oh, absolutely. If the war hadn’t started, he’d have been court-martialed and executed for that.”

“Yeah, well, the Enclave are what’s left of the military and government after the war. It’s the descendants of all the guys who thought those experiments were great ideas.”

“Dear God.”

“Yeah. They tried to take over the Capitol Wasteland when I was a kid, but the Brotherhood held them off and destroyed some secret base they had there. Maybe the only good thing they ever did.”

“I had no idea...I never actually finished reading the whole Codex.”

“You should ask Deacon to tell you the story. He probably knows more about it than I do, really. I was just ten when all that went down.”

“Okay.”

“So yeah, anyway, you don’t want to go to the city is all I’m saying. There used to be an old ferry boat that could get you around it, but someone, or something, blew it up a couple of years ago, so that’s a bust. You’ve gotta head west. We hit a place called White Plains, but no one stops there. The people aren’t...right.”

“What do you mean?”

“They paint themselves with this white mud and...I dunno, it’s creepy. Their guards just stare at you and no one ever says a word. They never bother the caravans though, so we just kinda keep our heads down and don’t stop until we’re past their borders.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. Then you’ve gotta cross this big river --”

“The Hudson.”

“Yeah, that. There is a ferry there, which is good since the bridge is long gone. The fees are crazy high and there’s a group of assholes who always try to price gouge you once you’re on the other side, but it’s not so bad. They’re a bunch of tough guys. All bluster.”

“New Jersey.”

“Right! Wow, you really know your geography.”

“Curie and I spent some time looking at maps today.”

“Oh, well...still. So we hit New Jersey and, like I said, price gouging like crazy. All over the place. You gotta haggle for everything. It’s a pain in the ass. Plus, a lot of it is cross-country through Jersey. Too many broken places in the roads. We head south to a town called Woodbridge where they try to burn you one last time, and then you’re back on I-95. It’s pretty smooth sailing from there.”

“Do you go through Philadelphia?”

“We keep to the outer edges. It’s big, like here, and we see a lot of pick-ups and drop-offs, but I’ve never stuck around, so I dunno what it’s like.”

“It used to be really nice.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh...well, maybe one day you and I will take a trip down there.”

“Maybe.”

“Baltimore is fun to stop in. They’ve got a lot of rowdy types there. Honest bartering, too. All the food has this weird seasoning on it though.”

“Old Bay?”

“Yeah! It’s bizarre. Comes in these little pre-war yellow and blue tins. They cost the same as fusion cores up here do. It’s like they need it to live or something.”

She laughed, “It’s good. No clam bake is complete without Old Bay.”

He snorted, “Yeah, no. You know I stay away from all fish and fish-type food.”

“I know.”

“And then poof. You’re in Washington. Easy peasy.”

“Easy peasy.”

“I’m going to bring you back so many souvenirs.” He’d never had a need or desire for them himself, but for her he’d happily drag whatever crap might make her smile across the country.

“I don’t need souvenirs.”

“Of course you do. I’ll grab some for Shaun, too.”

“That’d be nice.”

“Yeah.”

Her fingers curled into his shirt. “I’m really going to miss you.”

Mac’s hand covered hers and squeezed, “I know, baby. I’m going to miss you, too. Can you promise me something?”

“Okay.”

“Promise me you’ll remember to take care of yourself, alright? No skipping meals. No sleeping four hours a night. No working yourself to death.”

She sighed, “I promise.”

“Good.”

“Can you promise me something in return?”

“Anything.”

“Take care of yourself, too.”

He frowned, “I always do.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do.”

“No, you don’t.” Nora sat up a little and stared down at him, “I remember what you looked like when we first met, you know...and, the first time we were together, I was surprised at how thin you really were. You can’t expect me to take care of myself if you won’t take care of yourself. It’s hypocritical.”

“Back then I couldn’t afford to eat, sweetheart. I don’t have that problem anymore.”

“Promise me.”

He smiled up at her and tried to not wonder how he was going to survive four whole months without seeing that face. “I promise.”

“And listen to what Curie says! I told her you’re in charge while y’all are on the road, of course, but she’s in charge of making sure you stay healthy while you’re gone, so...if she fusses at you,  _ listen.” _

Oh, wonderful. A babysitter...or a nanny, really. “You’re lucky I’m into bossy women, you know that, right?”

“Mac…”

“Cause some men might take exception to that tone of yours.”

“I don’t have a tone!”

“But lucky for you, it just turns me on when you get like this.”

She immediately turned pink and dropped her head against his chest. “Mac!”

“Come on. Let’s go to bed and I’ll show you just how much I’m going to miss you. How’s that sound?” She mumbled against him and he pinched her ass through her fluffy robe, making her squeak. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I-I said it sounds good.”

“Good.”

Mac had spent almost an hour earlier in the day getting everything just right in their bedroom. Candles and some snacks, a couple bottles of wine. There were a few extra surprises hidden under the bed itself, but the way she was already so emotional, he wasn’t sure if they’d even get to those.

And if they didn’t, he was going to have to figure out a way to sneak them back out before she noticed because he wasn’t about to let her spend four months trying to puzzle them out on her own. That could have disastrous consequences by the time he came home.

Shaun might not be home, but he’d gotten used to shutting the door anyway and slid it closed after she walked in.

“Oh...it’s like when we were at the Castle.”

“Yeah, I remember how much you liked it, so…”

She turned to face him and smiled, “I love it. It’s perfect.”

He shrugged and took her into his arms. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Man, he was going to miss hearing that every day. He tried to take a step back, but she wouldn’t let him go, just held on tighter. Mac chuckled, “Baby, you gotta let me go for a sec. Some of us still have pants on.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.” He finally managed to pull back enough to look at her face and didn’t like how fragile she looked. The shuffling that was happening behind her eyes. He hadn’t seen her this unstable since before the Institute. “Hey. Look at me.”

She tried. She really did. He could tell she was making an effort, but her eyes couldn’t come up past his chin and she eventually gave up, closing them and shaking her head.

“Listen, I can’t make this go away. I have to go. If I could bring you with me, or if I could teleport us there...if there was any other way, I’d take it. But there isn’t. It’s going to be hard, for both of us, and it’s going to feel like forever, I know, but we just have to...to…”

“To soldier on.”

“Yeah. That.” Mac had a feeling she’d had this conversation quite a few times before in the past. He just didn’t know how Nate had managed to push her through it. “Tell me what you need, baby. Whatever it is, I’ll do it. If you just want to spend the night holding each other, that’s okay. Or we can just talk or, I dunno, play cards or something.”

She shook her head again. One of her hands reached out and held tightly to the hem of his shirt. “I just need you.”

“Well, you can definitely do me for the next twelve hours.”

That got a ghost of a smile on her face. Better than nothing. “No, I mean…” Her eyes met his for just a second and then slid away.

“You mean what?”

“It’s...it’s been a while. Since before Shaun, and...I mean, I get it, of course. It’s probably not very feasible with him in the house. That...that would be very confusing for a young man to stumble upon, probably, so —”

“Baby, what are you talking about?”

“I just...could you just...be in charge for tonight?  _ Really _ in charge, I mean.”

“Oh.”

The hand on his hem tightened its hold. “I just really think it would help.”

Things  _ had _ been a little vanilla since they’d moved to Sanctuary. It was hard to find opportunities to experiment and play when she was so in demand all the time. And soundproofing or no soundproofing, he wasn’t about to spank her senseless like she liked with the kid so close by. He hadn’t realized she’d missed that sort of thing as much as she apparently did; though now that he was thinking about it, there were a few clear signs that he’d missed. The way she kept pushing back when they did have sex, almost daring him to take over. He’d thought her newfound aggression was tied to her feeling more secure in her own sexuality, but maybe it was the only outlet for what she was really craving.

Mac set a hand on her head, “You want me to make the noise go away.”

She nodded, “Yes, please.”

“Okay. We can do that.” He watched as a layer of tension seemed to melt away from her face. “But not for the whole night, alright?”

“Alright.”

“We’ve got twelve hours. I’d like to spend some of that time as equals, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” He took a deep breath and made the mental shift into that frame of mind. Predatory, domineering, demanding. The hand he had on her head slid down her hair and tangled in it, grabbing a fistful and holding tightly. “Is this what you want?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

Her eyes opened and they were already dark and clear. The instability he’d seen before almost completely erased. “Yes, sir.”

He smiled at her and felt her shiver. “Take your glasses and that robe off.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mac released her and accepted the glasses she handed to them, carefully setting them aside on the dresser. The robe was simply dropped to the floor and he circled her, eyes moving over her form from all angles before he stopped back in front of her.

“Somebody wasn’t listening earlier, were they?”

“What?”

“I told you to not bother getting dressed. To just put your robe on. Is that what you did?”

“No, sir.”

“Nope, it wasn’t. Somebody decided to put panties on, too.” He slid both hands around her waist, wiggling under the cotton and grabbing her ass hard. “That wasn’t your decision to make.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.” He kneaded the soft flesh for a minute and then stepped back and sat on the bed. “On your knees.”

Nora knelt in front of him, a high flush in her cheeks. Mac watched the candlelight dance in her eyes and smiled at her. She smiled back shyly and fidgeted a little. He nudged her thigh with his boot.

“Spread your legs, pretty baby.” The color in her cheeks grew, but she instantly obeyed. He huffed in mock annoyance, “See? If you’d not worn panties, I’d be able to see how wet you are, but now I can’t. That’s not very nice, is it?”

“No, sir.”

“And I bet you’re plenty wet already, aren’t you, baby?” When she didn’t respond, he frowned. “Nora. I asked you a question.”

“I...I am, sir.”

“You are what?”

Her whole face was pink by this point, but she managed to get it out in a low whisper, “I am plenty wet already.”

Mac set his elbows on his thighs and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “That was hard for you to admit, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“But you did it anyway and that’s why you’re my good girl.” He nuzzled her nose with his own and just barely kissed her before whispering, “If we go too far, let me know, alright? You say stop and we’ll stop.”

She nodded and he leaned back, returning to his role like he’d never left it. “Unlace my boots.”

“Yes, sir.” It was awkward, with how her legs were spread out, but she managed to unlace first his right, then his left boot and removed them both, setting them carefully to the side. The expectant way she stared up at him afterward made him grin. She really had no idea how lucky she was that it was him she’d inexplicably chosen to share her life with, and not someone a little more ruthless and cruel. He’d seen girls stare up at Hancock the same way and the things he could easily get them to do, the lengths they’d end up going to prove their worthiness to him...well. Mac would certainly never push Nora that far, even if she was willing to let him.

There were just some lines he couldn’t cross with the woman he loved.

But there were certainly others he could push.

“I bet you wanna suck my cock so much you can taste it, huh, baby?” Her mouth actually dropped open in shock and he chuckled. “You know what I like about you, knockout? That you can sit there, literally naked at my feet, and still pretend like you’re not my dirty little girl.”

Mac reached between them and tenderly cupped her breasts, just like he would on any other night before he brushed his thumbs across her nipples. Then he rolled them between his fingers and pulled up, hard enough that she rose up off her haunches, gasping a little. He studied her face and then smiled.

“See? You like it, don’t you?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“The pain makes you all tingly, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” He released her and rubbed soothing little circles over her abused buds. She was panting slightly and he captured her mouth with his, kissing her hard to contrast with how gentle his hands were being. When his teeth sank into her lower lip, she moaned and her hands slid up his thighs. His greedy girl. Mac let her go and murmured against her mouth, “Now take my belt off and unbutton my pants.”

She nodded and he sat back while her hands flew through undoing his pants. Anyone else would have done it slow, taken this small moment to tease and torment him under the guise of being an obedient playmate. Not Nora though. She was far too excited and honest, even now, for artifice of any kind.

Her hands moved up to tug his pants down, but she hesitated at the last second. He could see the thoughts flashing across her face as she puzzled it out. He’d told her to unbutton his pants, not take them off, but she wanted to take them off, but that might not be what he wanted...Nora worried the inside of her cheek for a moment and finally sat back.

Mac grinned at her. She was close to mastering this game. “What a good, patient girl you are.” He pulled his shirt off and carelessly tossed it behind her before slowly pulling his cock out. The way her eyes went wide and hungry had him seriously considering cutting their playtime short. “Is this what you want, baby?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hmm...forgot yourself there for a minute, didn’t you?”

“I’m sorry.”

He slid the foreskin back off his swollen head and squeezed, groaning a little not only at the pressure, but at the restless way she shifted between his legs. A small clear bead of liquid formed and he swiped it with his thumb, holding it up so she could see before he smeared it across her lower lip. When she reflexively opened her mouth, his thumb slipped inside and he made encouraging noises as she started sucking.

His fingers curled around her jaw, gently petting while he watched her relax further from this one simple act of obedience. Her eyes grew dreamy and heavy-lidded and he was pretty sure he could actually get her to fall asleep this way. Mindlessly sucking on whatever he gave her and drifting along in this rare moment of quiet in her head.

Then her tongue swirled around his thumb and it zinged through his body and went straight to his cock. Mac shook off the tranquil feeling of the moment and pulled his thumb from her mouth, laughing as she pouted.

“Come here, sweetheart.” His hands tangled in her hair and he drew her forward, his cock slipping into her eager mouth. She immediately tried to take him as deep as she could and he chuckled at her obvious irritation when he hit the back of her throat. Mac smoothed the hair back from her face and rubbed the little line between her brows with his thumb.

“It’s just not gonna happen, kitten.”

Nora pulled back and frowned up at him, even as her hand wrapped around the base of his cock. “But Cait said —”

“I’m sure she said a lot, but you’ve been at it for months now and it’s just not happening. Your little throat is too small.”

“But —”

“I can feel it, baby. Trust me, it’s too small.”

“Or you’re too big.”

Her tone said brat, but damned if that wasn’t a compliment. Mac scowled at her and pushed his cock back into her mouth. “You keep on and that sassy attitude of yours is going to get your ass in more trouble than it already is.”

She went right back to trying to somehow wedge him down her throat and he rolled his eyes but let her try anyway. He had no idea why she’d latched onto this one silly thing as something she absolutely had to conquer, but he was more than happy letting her practice as often as she liked, even if it really was never going to happen.

In his whole life, only two people had ever managed to swallow his cock. There was that prostitute in Rivet City and a guy from way out on the outskirts of the Commonwealth that had been at a few of Hancock’s parties. Most partners tried but gave up rather quickly. It wasn’t that he was particularly long, in his opinion, but he knew for sure he was thick. Thick enough that several people he’d been with had actually begged off an actual fucking for oral. Even Hancock had taken time to adjust to his girth their first few times together...he was pretty sure, anyway. Those memories were still pretty hazy.

A shiver went up his back, bringing him back to the present. Her other hand had started to fondle his balls, the talented fingers softly petting and squeezing just enough to make him antsy. He was tempted to just let her finish him off right then and there, but he already had other plans. Mac watched her for a few seconds longer, committing the scene to memory for long, lonely nights to come, and finally pulled her off him.

“A for effort, sweetheart.”

“I’ve almost got it.”

“Uh-huh.” She absolutely did not but he let her have her illusions. He scooted back just enough that she wouldn’t be tempted and let go of her hair. “Since I still can’t see, how wet are you right now?”

“Um…”, her cheeks were already dark from her earlier efforts, but the flush was slowly spreading down her neck and chest. “I’m…”

“Check for me.”

“What?”

“Put your hand in your panties and check for me.  _ Now.” _

She looked away but a hand slipped into her panties anyway and she squirmed a little. Mac leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

“My good girl...so? How wet are you?”

“I’m...it’s pretty wet.”

“Scale of one to ten.”

“I...um...seven?”

“Seven?” He tutted at her, “We can do better than that, can’t we, baby?”

Her eyes met his for the briefest of moments and she giggled, “Yes, sir.”

“M’hmm.” He settled back and wrapped a hand around his cock. “We’re going to play a little game. You like games, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

Sure she did. Canasta, chess, poker, checkers, Blast Radius. If there was a wholesome, family fun kinda game out there, Nora played it, loved it and usually won. There were very few things in life she was actively competitive in, but games was definitely one of them. They rarely played against each other though. He usually preferred watching her destroy people from a distance, like always.

“Here’s how we play. I’m going to touch myself and you’re going to touch yourself. If you come before I do, you get to decide where I come. But if I win…” His idle hand traced along the blush creeping down her chest and he grinned when she went wide-eyed. The one and only time he’d come on her, that first time they’d made love, she’d later told him she hated it. That it made her feel dirty, and not in the good way.

He thought it was pretty funny she was so focused on the nightmare scenario of him jizzing all over her that she’d completely forgotten to be embarrassed about having to masturbate right in front of him.

“You game?”

The hungry look in her eye as she watched the precum leak from his cock turned a bit wary. “What happens if I say no?”

Mac smiled, “Is this too far?”

“No.”

“Then why would you think you were allowed to say no?”

She swallowed heavily and nodded.

“Okay, great. Better get moving, baby. Thanks to you, I already have a head start.”

Nora scowled, “Cheater.”

“Mmm, yeah, keep talking. Counting up all the spankings you’re gonna get definitely helps.” His hand twisted over his cockhead and he groaned. He let his head tip back so he could stare at the ceiling, giving her the illusion of privacy to get started. She was still somehow shy about this shit. He couldn’t figure that out and the one time he’d tried to ask Hancock about it, he could sense he was about five minutes away from a beatdown. After that, he’d given up trying to find out the why of it.

He kept his hand lazily moving along his cock, not enough to do much more than keep him hard. This was a game he wanted her to win. He knew the second he came all over her, she’d have one of those little moments where the world had to stop so she could go clean up somewhere. That was no fun. His whole goal for tonight was to get so dirty with her that she’d be able to smell it on their bed sheets for a week after; but not  _ so _ dirty that she’d be compelled to scrub all the evidence of their last night together away.

A tiny gasp had him smiling. The stifled moan that came after had his head coming up so he could watch her. Her eyes were closed, like he knew they would be. The hand in her panties clearly rolling her clit between her fingers. She had her lower lip in her teeth, head tilted back while her chest heaved.

God, what he wouldn’t give for a camera.

Her hips started moving in tiny increments, almost swaying against her hand. Mac wanted to touch her more than anything, but didn’t. Wouldn’t. They’d been practicing her getting herself off plenty these past few weeks, but he’d never managed to let her get all the way there on her own. He still had a few worries that she couldn’t, and it filled him with guilt.

So he stayed quiet and kept his eyes open, trying to memorize this scene, too. Really, he wanted this whole night stamped so deep into his brain that he’d be thinking of it on his deathbed. This moment in particular however was hot enough that it could easily stand all on its own.

It was testing the limits of his self-control though. Especially when she suddenly sank two of her fingers deep into her pussy and whimpered, bringing them back to swirl around her clit. He could  _ hear _ how wet she was, could smell the arousal, and it was killing him.

Her body arched up, shaking all over and she finally cried out, her movements slowing until they gradually stopped. She shivered one last time and opened her eyes, blinking at him.

He grinned, “You did it.”

“I did it.”

“You won...so, where should I —” He was cut off as she surged forward, engulfing his cock in her mouth and sucking hard. “Ah, fuck.” Mac fell back against the bed and closed his eyes. He should have known. She never left anything half finished.

Her hair fell down around his thighs and tickled a little, so he sat up on his elbows and used his hands to pull it back. She murmured happily when he did and it turned into a moan when he tightened his hold and pushed her down, just a little, on his cock. Still wanted the rough stuff then. His eyes darted over to the bedside table. Still over eleven hours left. Plenty of time.

He transferred all of her hair into one hand, fisting it at the back of her head and propping himself up on one arm. Mac held her in place and thrust up into her mouth. Her saliva was running down his shaft, coating his balls and the way they slipped in her hold had him seeing stars. He was close.

“I’m gonna...oh, God, baby... _ fuck!” _ He felt himself erupt down her throat and the greedy way she swallowed him down made his hand tighten in her hair momentarily. “Yeah, that’s right. That’s what you wanted. You love sucking Daddy’s big cock, don’t you?”

Nora abruptly stopped and looked up at him, letting him fall from her mouth. “What?”

“I…” Oh, fuck. They’d never really talked about other things for her to call him besides Sir, had they? Lucy had started calling him daddy all the time after Duncan had been born and they’d just ran with it. “Too far?”

Her eyes sparkled a little and she giggled, “No...should I start calling you that?” She dragged her tongue along his still twitching cock and watched his face, apparently extremely amused by the expression there.

His hand fell from her hair and he was suddenly caught in one of those moments where he was very, very aware of his age and how much younger he was. It felt completely absurd to ask her to call him that. He must be an idiot. “No...no, I mean...if you wanted to, that’s fine, and if you don’t want to, that’s fine, too.”

“Hmm.” He’d never seen someone thoughtfully suck a cock before, but damned if she wasn’t doing it. She finally released him with a soft pop and crawled up enough to kiss him softly. “Okay...Daddy.”

“Shit.” His whole body twitched when she said it. That accent of hers turning such a simple word into something that felt like a caress. She crouched over him, her hair falling around them like a curtain and he returned her kiss with interest. Then she ground down against him just a little and he remembered what he was  _ supposed _ to be doing. His hand snaked into her hair and yanked her back. “I know what you’re up to.”

The confusion on her face was real, but he pretended like it wasn’t. “What?”

“Trying to make me forget you’ve been naughty. On the bed, on your belly.  _ Now.” _

“Yes, sir.”

She moved over and he sat up so she could lay down, her head pillowed in her arms. Mac ran a hand down her back, but stopped before he touched the offensive panties. Her hair was already obscuring her face and he hated that. He gathered it and quickly separated it into three sections, braiding it loosely.

Nora raised up just enough to see what he was up to. “What are you doing?”

“You like to hide too much.”

Her cheeks went a deeper shade of pink. “Oh.” She dropped her head back down and he tapped her shoulders.

“I know all your tricks, sweetheart. Put your hands under the pillows.” She sighed but obeyed, and he rubbed her head. “There we go.”

His hand drifted down along her spine and he rubbed her ass through her panties. “I can’t believe you put these on. I really can’t. Thought you were smarter than that.”

“Habit.”

“That’s no excuse.” He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “If you’d just done what I said, I’d be fucking you by now, but  _ instead, _ because you couldn’t be a good girl, we have to do this first.”

Her eyes met his for a moment and she looked away, entirely too smug to be contrite but trying for it anyway. “I’m sorry.”

“You dirty little liar.” His hand came down suddenly, hard, and she jumped. “You know, I had a set number in my head, but I don’t think that’s gonna do it. Your sassiness can’t be quantified.”

Mac rubbed the sting out of his strike and thought for a minute before grinning. “Oh, I know what we can do…” His hand slid down and he pressed his thumb hard against her slit, chuckling at how soaked her panties were and the way she wriggled against his hand. “Hmm, that’s a shame, isn’t it? If only these  _ stupid _ panties weren’t in the way, I could be touching you the way you like right now.”

“Please?”

“Nope.”

She whined and her foot thumped against the mattress. The littlest of tantrums. It never failed to amuse him.

“Poor baby...so here’s what we’re going to do. Bring your right hand down and see if you can reach your clit like this.”

“What?”

“You were so pretty before, fucking your own hand like your life depended on it. I want to see it again.”

“O-oh.” Her arm slipped beneath her and she shifted her hips forward a bit. “I can reach.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good...now, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to spank you for being such a brat tonight, and you’re going to rub yourself until you come. Then, and only then, will I stop.”

She stared at him in shock until he raised an eyebrow, then looked away. “Yes, sir.”

“Good girl. We start on my signal.”

He raised his hand and chuckled a little at the way her eyes got bigger the higher his arm went, then brought it down hard on the same cheek he’d swatted before. She yelped and then moaned softly. Mac grinned.

It took her less time to come this time around, but not soon enough in his opinion. His hand was almost starting to get tired, and the skin that peeked out from around her underwear was a bright, merry red before she finally cried out, shuddering all over. Mac moved her panties aside and slipped one rough finger inside, giving her body something to come around.

Nora peeked back at him, panting, and he smiled at her. “Just making sure you’re not trying to be slick again.”

She scowled at him until he pressed hard against the swollen bundle of nerves hidden along her inner wall and it turned into a gasp. He chuckled and gently rubbed, liking the pitiful noises she made and how dark and pleading her eyes were.

“You still with me, sweetheart?”

“M’hmm.”

“Static’s almost all gone, isn’t it?”

She nodded and closed her eyes.

“Good. That’s my good girl.” His hand slipped free from her long enough to tug her panties off and he tossed them. He laid his cheek on her ass and whistled low. “Lotta heat here. You’re gonna bruise like crazy.”

“Hmm.”

“But that’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“M’hmm.”

“M’hmm.” He squeezed one of her cheeks just to hear her hiss and laughed, “You’re not going to be able to sit down for a week...have fun explaining that.”

“Mean.”

“Yup.” He coaxed her thighs apart and rubbed her outer lips with both thumbs. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this wet before, baby. Not on your own, anyway.” She made far off, dreamy noises and he chuckled. She always got so compliant after a good spanking.

Mac laid down and nuzzled against her, dragging his tongue up from her clit, across her pussy, and not stopping until he was just at the edge of her hole. She shivered and he nipped at the abused flesh of her ass.

They’d been experimenting with anal play lately, too. Nothing big. A finger here, an errant lick there. She was nowhere near ready for the big show, and he hadn’t even brought it up yet, but he was really hoping the foundation he’d been building wouldn’t be wiped out by their time apart. Actually, he wasn’t even sure how to bring it up yet. When they were in bed, he could pretty much get her to go along with anything, so it felt wrong to bring it up in the moment. Outside of bed, though, she’d stare at him with those huge, innocent eyes and he had no idea how to explain how he very much wanted to be the first man to come in her ass.

He wasn’t even entirely sure why he wanted to do it, just that every time he stared at her ass, he desperately wanted to.

But he also wanted to make it great for her so it wouldn’t be a one and done kinda thing. Hence the careful groundwork.

Maybe all that time walking would help him come up with something. Something eloquent and persuasive. Find a romantic way to say ‘hey, I’d really like to destroy that ass please and thank you’...if there was one.

He left a series of tiny bites back down her thigh until he returned to her pussy and burrowed against it, licking and suckling while his hands pulled and squeezed her ass. He waited for her to start writhing against him before he swiped his tongue up and over her hole, pressing just a little as he passed, and continued up her spine, crawling over her as he went.

Mac nibbled at her earlobe and rubbed his cock against her, hands on her hips and pushing her further down into the mattress.

“Ready, baby?”

“God, yes. Please?”

“I’m going to fuck you so goddamn hard. Is that what you want?”

“Yes.”

His hand was immediately wrapped around her throat and he squeezed just a little, “Yes,  _ what?” _

“Yes, sir.”

“Good girl. On your knees.” He leaned back enough for her to comply and roughly pulled her against him, not actually entering her, just to show her how hard he was going to go. Giving her one last chance to ask for mercy.

Instead she pressed against him and whined, “Please.”

He got a little distracted by the sight of her hips moving, grinding against him hard enough to almost push him back. It couldn’t be helped. He was pretty sure anyone with eyes would’ve been distracted by that. If he hadn’t been on his second round already, he’d have blown his load all over her back from just the sensation of her slick pussy sliding along his shaft. Mac made a mental note to try and remember this moment for a later date. Sometime when she’d really done something naughty and he needed to torture her for real.

Not tonight though.

The head of his cock slipped into her easy enough and he paused, as he always did, when the inevitable resistance came. No matter how many times he’d taken her, she always needed a moment to adjust to him. That night at the Rexford, when he’d gotten out of control and hurt her, was always hovering at the back of his mind.

Nora seemed to have other ideas, however. The second he stopped moving forward, she slammed herself backward, taking him hard and fast. The pressure around his cock was delicious and overwhelming, and Mac pushed back against her on instinct before he froze. She was panting heavily, face buried against the mattress. Her pussy shivered around him, belatedly trying to adapt to the sudden intrusion.

“Baby? Are you alright?”

Her hands curled against the blanket and she pulled herself forward just a few inches before bucking back against him. He laughed softly and watched her fuck herself on his cock while he rubbed soothing circles with his thumbs at her hips.

“That’s not an answer.”

Her legs spread further, attempting to take him deeper than she already was and she raised her head enough to pout back at him, “RJ, please?”

He was pretty sure he’d had dreams like this back before they ever met. His literal dreamgirl begging him to fuck her into oblivion. He was never going to get used to this, but he was damn sure going to miss it.

Mac dug his fingers into her hips and held her still while he pressed against her, leaning over her back. “You say stop, we’ll stop.”

She smiled softly at him, acknowledging his worry and simultaneously letting him know there was nothing to be worried about. “I know.”

He let his control slip the leash, just a bit. His nails bit into her skin and she shuddered and tightened even more around him. He ground his teeth, hot breath whistling through them while he began thrusting, gradually increasing the force until she was content to no longer move against him. Her body began to relax a little around him, feeling more like business as usual until he slapped her ass, a bright white hand print that quickly returned to red. Nora cried out as her pussy clenched around him and he groaned.

“Fuck, that’s so good.”

Another strike and she was lost in a sudden orgasm, screaming his name into the mattress while her pussy pulsed and quaked around his cock. Mac laughed breathlessly as she thrashed under him and viciously kept up his relentless pounding.

“This what you wanted, baby?”

She gasped and whimpered at the way he’d started to drag his teeth down her back. “Yes.”

His temper flared and he snatched her braided hair, pulling it until she arched up, her ear right by his mouth.  _ "Yes, what?” _

“Sir! Yes, sir.”

His teeth found the sensitive flesh where her neck and shoulder met and he bit down hard. “You keep pushing it. Why?” When her only answer was to shake her head, he snarled against her ear and abruptly pulled out of her, causing her to cry out. “Tell me why.”

“RJ, please…”

_ “Tell me.” _ There was no room for argument in his voice and she sighed.

“I just...I…”, she gulped back a sob and tried to turn away from him but the hand in her hair kept her in place.

Mac shifted his stance a little, the hand on her hip sliding around to pull her closer against him and the restraining hand in her hair moved to carefully curl around her throat. Not as a threat or to confine her further, just to make her feel safe and grounded. He nuzzled against her and pressed apologetic kisses to the bruises already forming along her neck.

“Baby, talk to me.” He kept his voice low and calm, the way he would if he were coaxing a wild animal to stay put.

Another sniffle and hot tears fell onto his hand. “I just want to be able to feel it. Feel  _ you, _ for as long as I can after you’re gone.”

He would have laughed if his heart wasn’t breaking. The beating her ass had taken earlier would guarantee she’d feel it for at least a week and a half after he’d hit the road. Somehow the night had gotten away from him. He’d let her lead him down this path and never even noticed who was actually calling the shots. What’d Hancock call that...topping from the bottom? Trying to get her way without actually talking to him about it first.

That’s not what they were about.

He wondered how many times she would have asked him to stop if this had been any other night.

Mac gently pushed her forward a bit, getting her to lay down on her back while he moved back between her legs. He covered her body with his own, their faces inches apart, but still she either wouldn’t or couldn’t look at him. He trailed soft kisses down her cheek and finally convinced her to turn back to him by nibbling at her mouth, eagerly capturing it the second she drifted towards him. He kissed her until she was squirming beneath him again, her hands moving up his arms to hang onto his shoulders.

When he broke away this time, her eyes opened and stared right into his, dark and troubled. He smiled at her and dropped another gentle kiss to her lips.

“I love you.”

“I love —”

He pressed a finger to her lips and she frowned a little, confused at being silenced. She didn’t try to speak again though when his hand left her mouth and slipped between them as he eased himself back into her. She did whimper a little though, at the way he rolled his hips, slow and deep against her.

“I love you.” Another roll. “I love you.” Another. “I love you.” It became a low, whispered chant as he moved, almost a prayer.

It wasn’t the violence she’d tried to inspire in him, but it seemed to work anyway. Her hips rose to meet his and her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him close until there was barely room for breath between them. Mac wrapped his arms around her and buried his face against her neck. She was still crying. He could feel the way her body would shudder every once in a while in a suppressed sob.

He didn’t want her to hold back anymore. This whole situation was awful. She had every right to cry over it. They’d barely been together six months and now he was having to leave her here for God only knew how long. It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t, and the fact that there was nothing either of them could do about it was infuriating. They’d remade the world together, but they couldn’t find a way around this.

Tears slipped past his eyelids, no matter how tightly he kept them screwed shut, and fell on Nora’s heated skin. His whispered declarations became hoarse and ragged. One of her hands moved into his hair, kneading gently as he gave up all pretense of being okay with their circumstances. They were both suffering and they would both suffer in the days to come. Trying to hide from that had only isolated them from each other.

When he came inside her, it took him by surprise. The pain in his heart had been so great that he’d only been vaguely aware of what his body was doing. He hadn’t even felt it building like he usually did. Nora’s legs wrapped around him as he shuddered and stilled his movements as he spilled into her. Mac frowned a little to himself. He wasn’t even sure she’d gotten off, to be honest.

He started to let her go so he could wiggle a hand between them and finish her off, just in case, but she made a sound of protest and held on tighter.

“No. It’s okay. Just keep holding me. Please.”

Her voice was wobbly, but it sounded a hell of a lot closer to the girl he’d woken up next to this morning and not the half-shadow she’d been since reading that letter. Mac smiled against her neck and burrowed against her, determined to get as close as possible.

“I can do that.”

“I’m going to miss you every day.”

He tried to laugh but it came out a little closer to a sob. “I’m going to miss you every minute.”

“Every second.”

“Every...what’s smaller than a second?”

“A millisecond.”

“Every millisecond then.”

Nora laughed softly and pushed on his shoulder until he raised up enough for them to look at each other properly. “You better come back to me.”

“I will.”   


“Because I do have an army. I’ll come after you if you don’t.”

Mac chuckled and wiped at the tears in his eyes before carefully wiping hers from her face. “I know.” He pressed a kiss against her forehead, “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.”

Not a lie this time. He sighed in relief. “Are you going to be okay?”

Her mouth opened to say yes, but she seemed to think better of it at the last second. “I...I’m not entirely sure. But I’ll try.”

“Okay.” He couldn’t really ask for more than that. Mac rolled them both onto their sides so he was no longer crushing her and smiled when she snuggled against him. “Sleepy?”

“No.”

“Hungry?”

“We just ate, honey.”

“Hmm…” He felt worlds better somehow, but still. He wanted to see her smile. Wanted to see her laugh and be silly at least once more before he had to go in the morning. “Hey, I got you a surprise.”

“What kind of surprise?”

“The fun kind.”

She shifted up onto her elbow and looked at him, eyes sparkly and clearly interested. “What kind of fun?”

Mac grinned at her, “Do me a favor. Reach under the bed and pull out the first thing you find.”

Nora’s head tilted and she had that adorable confused kitten look on her face he loved so much. “Under the bed?” She rolled and leaned over the side, “What in the world have you…what’s this?” She sat up and stared at the prize in her hand. “Handcuffs?”

“Yup.”

“You want to handcuff me to something?”

He snorted, “No.” When she continued to stare at the cuffs in puzzlement, he huffed and took them from her, slapping one shut on his own wrist and holding it up for her to see.

She blinked at him a few times before her eyes went wide and she blushed. “O-oh. Oh, I get it.” Nora nibbled on her lower lip for a minute, “You have the keys, right?”

“Nah. That’s part of the fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay D!Mac back in full effect. Nora was absolutely correct. It has been quite a while.
> 
> (Also yeah he likes being called Daddy. Don't @ me.)


	7. Catalyst

“Does it fit okay?”

“Yeah, no, it’s good.”

“Okay, let’s boot it up. Watch how I do it, okay?”

Mac watched as Nora turned his newly gifted Pip-boy on and nodded to herself as lines of code flashed across the screen. The gobbledygook meant nothing to him, but she seemed happy with it and eventually it flashed up a map of the Commonwealth.

“Hey, it works!”

“Yeah...now, see, of course, right now you’re here.” She pointed at a little arrow on the map. “But once you reach the bottom of the map,” her finger traveled along their planned route south until it fell off the screen, “you’ll need to reboot it again so it can load up the next map.”

“You really think it will?”

“Vault-Tec’s satellites are still maintaining their orbits. They used to advertise that they all had fusion reactor engines with solar backup, so...yes, it should. But even if it doesn’t, you’ll still have access to the notes and your diagnostic stuff and all that.”

“Right.” It felt strangely heavy on his wrist. He’d have to take a couple of practice shots along the way to get used to that. “Thank you. You didn’t have to go to all the trouble.”

She waved a hand, “It’s no trouble. Vault 81 considers me one of their own. We should go there sometime when you get back. I’ll introduce you to everybody. I have a room.”

Safe, secure, cave-like. Sounded pretty good to him. “We could honeymoon there if you want.”

Nora laughed, “I dunno about that.” She glanced up the road and waved at Curie trotting along before stepping a little closer to him and dropping her voice. “By the way, there’s a holo already loaded in there, but...don’t play it unless you’re by yourself, okay?”

He watched the color grow in her cheeks and his eyebrow went up by a fraction of an inch. “What uh...what’s on it?”

She shook her head, “It’s um...nothing, really, just...private.”

Oh, now he  _ had _ to listen to it as soon as he could. He grinned at her, “Am I gonna like it?”

“I...think so, yes.”

“Hmm.”

“Also I got you this.” She pulled out a small box from her coat pocket. It was sturdy plastic and rattled a bit when he shook it. “It’s all my Pip-boy games. I know how much you like playing them.”

What he really liked was sitting with her arm around him and his head pillowed on her bosom while he played. “Wow, thanks.”

“And I thought maybe Duncan could play with them on the way back? You know, give him something to do while he’s riding in the wagon.”

Mac smiled, “He’ll love that.”

Curie finally joined them at the edge of the bridge out of Sanctuary, dressed in her usual black combat suit with her medical coat thrown over it and a plasma rifle in her hands.  _ “Bonjour! _ It is not a  _ lovely _ day for travel?”

Nora smiled, “Yes, it is. Are you all set?”

_ “Oui!  _ I have everything we packed and my mission holos and my Pip-boy!”

“Good. Remember your cover story?”

“Ah, yes! I am a traveling  _ docteur _ and Mac is my guard...and my friend.”

“Right.”

“And my _ grand-père.” _

“Curie! No.”

But you are my  _ mémère! _ Why can I not call him that?”

Mac eyed the large rucksack on her back with its smaller twin dangling from it while they argued in French for a minute. “It’s a long walk, Curie. You sure you’re going to be able to carry that the whole way?”

“Of course! This body, while not quite as sturdy or capable as my old one, is still quite strong!”

“What’s in the little backpack?”

“Ah!” Her eyes went to Nora’s, “Madame?”

She shrugged, “Might as well tell him.”

“It is a surprise for  _ jeune maître _ Duncan.”

“Oh...then I should carry it, right?” He unclipped it from her pack and added it to its own. It didn’t add much weight. Maybe five pounds tops. “What is it?”

“Madame and Shaun have worked very hard on it since we arrived in Sanctuary. It is a present to welcome him here.”

Mac smiled at Nora and she immediately went pink and stared at her feet. “Baby...that is so sweet.”

“Well...we, that is, Shaun and I, we just wanted him to know we were excited to meet him is all.”

“What’s in it?”

“Books and...you know, crayons and things. A photo album so you can show him everything before he gets here. Shaun took all the pictures. He thought it would help him feel more at home.”

“He’s gonna love it.”

She smiled shyly, “Good.” Dogmeat nudged her leg and she scratched him behind the ears. “You should get going. Sun’s almost up.”

He sighed, “Right.”

Curie hugged Nora and put her rifle on her back. “Everything will be fine. I will return both him and  _ jeune maître _ Duncan to you safe and sound.  _ Je promets.” _

“I know you will. Be careful, honey...and try to have fun.”

“I will!” She smiled brightly before turning to Mac, “I will wait for you on the other side, I think.” A quick goodbye pat for Dogmeat and she was skipping off across the bridge.

Mac watched her go and chuckled, “She’s going to be exhausted before we even get out of Boston.”

“Oh, I don’t know. She’s tougher than you’d think.”

“Hell of a rifle. Is that new?”

“Just came in from the Castle. Rosalind’s newest prototype.”

“Nice.”

“Hmm.”

She was already quieter than he liked, but Deacon would be awake soon, and Hancock was still in town. She’d be distracted soon enough. Mac wrapped his arms around her and tucked his face against her neck, breathing her in one last time.

“Gonna miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you, too.” Her arms tightened just a bit, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He kissed her, soft and sweet. Their lips were still too bruised from the night before to allow for anything else. “Be good while I’m gone.”

“I will.”

“No crazy adventures without me. I’ll be jealous.”

She laughed, “I’ll try...I’ve got a lot of projects going on, so it’ll just be work, work, work.”

“Good. Try to keep busy, but not too busy, alright?”

“Okay.”

Mac reluctantly took a step back and held her face in his hands, trying to memorize it one last time and knowing he’d never be able to get it exactly right. “I gotta go.”

“I know.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

He pressed a kiss against her forehead and let her go. His first few steps on the bridge were backward so he could stare at her as long as he could. He waved at her from the apex and she smiled through her tears, or tried to anyway, and waved back. Turning away from her was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do.

Curie bounced in place, waiting impatiently on the other side. “Bunker Hill first, yes?”

“Yeah, we’ll meet up with the caravan there. Probably stay the night.”

“Wonderful! There are many lovely specimens there!”

“Yeah.” He sighed heavily and straightened his hat. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Nora managed to wait all of thirty seconds after losing sight of Mac before she ran to the top of the bridge and watched him and Curie walking away. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, throwing bright rosy beams across the road, one hitting them just before they turned the corner. She stood in silence, not daring to look away until long after they’d disappeared from view.

Dogmeat, nervous at her being still for so long, whined and licked her ankle as though encouraging her to move. She finally blinked and looked down at him. His dark brown eyes stared up at her and she smiled.

“I’m alright.”

There were tears on her cheeks. She could feel them now that the wind had started to pick up. She scrubbed them away with the sleeve of her coat and took a deep breath. Shaun would be waking up soon. Deacon, too. There was breakfast to get on the table and a house to design and Deacon’s exercises and that volcano she’d promised to show Shaun how to build…

She didn’t have time for tears or this silly dillydallying.

“Come on, pup. Let’s get to work.”

Her walk back through Sanctuary felt strangely long. Quiet. She’d never get used to the sun rising without a chorus of birdsong to greet it. Chickadees and robins would far simpler to reproduce than a gorilla, wouldn’t they? Doctor Li could probably…

No, that would be selfish. Asking an entire contingent of scientists to focus on bringing back songbirds just because she missed them sounded like something previous Directors would have asked for.

Then again, they’d certainly boost morale, wouldn’t they? Give people something to look forward to in the mornings besides another day of work.

Nora frowned thoughtfully to herself. Or was she just trying to convince herself this was an altruistic thing when really she was just still being unspeakably selfish? She needed an unbiased opinion. Deacon? No...he’d say she should do it just because he always wanted to see more pre-war stuff. Hancock, maybe? He was so indulgent with her though. He’d probably say it was a great idea just to make her happy.

He really was a sweetheart, but if she always followed his advice, she’d become the most spoiled brat this side of the bombs.

Codsworth was out. He missed everything pre-war more than she did. X6 would say she was the Director and it was her decision. Jack...probably shouldn’t know any more about the impressionable scientists under her command than he already did, lest he infect them with his alien nonsense.

She sighed heavily. Mac was barely in Concord by now and she already missed him more than anything. His opinion was always balanced. Responsible. Practical. She loved that about him.

Cait was probably the only person she would get a similar response from. She hated to ask her though. She’d already put enough on her shoulders with that vice-mayor idea.

She was deep enough in thought that she would have walked right into Strong if Dogmeat hadn’t bit her skirt and pulled. Her head finally came up and she blinked at the four radstags the super mutant was dragging across the street to the communal house for butchering and distribution.

“Strong?”

He grunted, “Lady.”

“What do you think about birds?”

“Stringy. Not taste good. Feathers get stuck in teeth.”

“Oh.” She tilted her head, considering. He was right, as usual, but this was probably a dry well as far as her quandary went. “Good hunting today?”

“No hunt. Only smash.”

“Ah.”

“Humans leave Strong liver and hearts.”

“Of course.” Her eyes drifted to the demolished house a little further up. “Do you have any plans for today?”

“Practice smash.”

“Perfect. Do you think you could practice your smashing on that house over there?” She pointed and waited for him to look over and nod before continuing. “I need all that scrap in the junkyard and the foundation cleared. Can you do that for me?” He grunted an affirmative and she smiled. “Fantastic. Thank you, Strong.”

“What Lady building next?”

“A new home for my family.”

“Hmm. Home good.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Make big enough for Strong to visit.”

Nora laughed, “Absolutely.”

“Blue house too little.”

“I know.”

“Good for puny human though.”

“It is. I was thinking of giving it to Cait after I move.”

“Mmm. Angry lady good fighter. Need good house.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” She smiled at him and there was definitely some kind of twitching happening in his cheek, which was as far as he ever got to a genuine facial expression. She’d long ago decided that meant he was smiling back at her. “Have a good morning, honey.”

He shrugged and grunted, going back to dragging the meat to be left under the carport, and Nora went the opposite direction, back into her home. Her hand brushed against the wind chime hanging by the door, as it had done every day since she’d returned home. It’s harmonious ringing was now nearly synonymous with coming home.

Codsworth was already puttering around in the kitchen, as he did every morning, and his optical apertures perked up when she walked in. “Good morning, Mum!”

“Morning, Codsworth.”

“Did you see Mister MacCready and dear Miss Curie off?”

“I did.”

“Splendid! I do hope their journey goes well.”

Nora waited until he turned away before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, counting backwards from five like Jack had taught her. By the time she got to one, she was almost okay. Her vision was no longer wobbly with unshed tears anyhow. “I do, too.”

Her hand found the bullet hanging from its necklace and she rubbed it. Mac’s Christmas present hadn’t left her neck since he’d put it on her months ago. It had become a worry stone of sorts. Soothing and smooth against her fingers.

People were probably going to want to talk to her about his departure. Well-wishers and concerned friends and the like. That’s what people did. Good people, anyway. Her people. They cared and they tended to show they cared through conversation and commiserating about shared experiences.

She hated that. She didn’t want to think about any of that. He was gone. He’d left. That moment was already boxed away where it couldn’t overwhelm her at inappropriate moments. Talking about it endlessly was just going to break that box down before she was ready.

X6 wouldn’t want to talk about it. He valued silence and she valued him for it. Maybe she’d post him outside to scare off all the…

No, dammit. There she went. Being selfish again. He still needed to integrate into the community. Using him as the boogeyman he’d been built to be was completely counter-intuitive to that, not to mention cruel.

Maybe she could take Shaun for a little walk instead. Head north a bit where they wouldn’t see more than a radstag, if Strong had left any alive, and the odd rabbit. Frame it as an adventure. Let him take his BB gun and get a little target practice in.

Was that dishonest though? He’d be so excited for an outing and she’d just be using it as an excuse to avoid everyone. Anyway, his Uncle Hancock was here. She couldn’t cut their visit short just because she didn’t feel like being brave today.

Nora sighed to herself again. She really missed Mac. His presence was so calming and steadying, really. She always felt like her best self whenever he was around.

“Big breakfast today, Codsworth. We’ll have a lot of hungry boys at the table this morning.”

“Ah! Right-o, Mum! Breakfast with the works, coming up!”

“I’ll be right back. Just going to put my hair up and then I’ll help.”

“Of course.” He was already busy whisking eggs and dicing sausage for gravy.

She walked down the hallway and took one more deep breath before opening the bedroom door and slipping inside. The bed was still unmade and the entire room smelled like...well, like last night and most of this morning, actually. She couldn’t make herself open a window though. Nor could she bring herself to strip the bed for washing.

In fact, it was all she could do to not crawl back into bed, wrap herself in the blankets and cry into his pillow like some silly child would. She huffed at her own foolishness and sat heavily on her vanity stool, biting back a yelp when her bottom fairly throbbed under her.

Ah. Right. She’d somehow forgotten. Her fanny looked like an artist’s rendering of a nebula today and would for quite a while. All dark splotches with clouds of red and purple throughout. Little dots like red dwarfs from where the blood had welled up into her pores.

She made a face at herself in the mirror and began brushing her hair. Should have known better. Be careful what you wish for, indeed.

Actually, with how small her pores had permanently gotten after the cryostasis, those little dots were fairly impressive. She hadn’t even been sure she  _ had _ pores anymore until Mac had ran his hand over her and…

And that’s exactly the kind of thinking she was hoping to avoid today, thank you very much.

She jerked her thoughts away from that particular avenue and stared at her reflection until her face became nothing more than an odd assortment of shapes and angles. Abstract and forever foreign. Inside, she felt like that gawky twelve year old her mother had constantly told they would never find a husband or be a proper lady. Eyes too big behind the glasses, cheeks too hollow and bright, hair too straight, mouth pleasant enough if she could just stop chewing away on her lower lip for five minutes.

It was jarring. To be reminded every day that she wasn’t that child anymore. That she’d ‘bloomed’, as Mac put it. Made her want to avoid mirrors altogether. She was pretty now, apparently. Objectively pretty from what she’d been told. A balanced, symmetrical face with clear eyes and fair skin that freckled like mad is all she ever really saw.

But then again, she’d always had trouble understanding what made people pretty or not. She thought all her friends to be quite beautiful, but there’d been times when people had been very rude to Hancock, or downright cruel and disrespectful to Cait or Piper. It made her wonder if her love for these people effected how she saw them, or if other people were simply blind to their charms.

How could anyone look at Hancock’s sweet face with it’s dark eyes and that soft smile and not fall in love at least a  _ little? _ Or see how impassioned Piper got when defending the truth, the color rising in her cheeks and her hands gracefully gesturing, and not see how vibrant and wonderful she was? And Cait...one of the strongest people Nora had ever known, mentally as well as physically. She was like the embodiment of an Amazon or a Valkyrie. Absolutely gorgeous.

It just went to further confirm her theory that people nowadays were all just a little batty.

It  _ couldn’t _ just be that she saw them through rose-colored glasses because she’d thought they were all lovely from the jump. She thought most people were, but her friends especially.

The comforting, rhythmic pull of the brush lulled her into a rare island of calm in her mind and, despite her best efforts, he slipped right in there, as he always did.

When she’d first seen Mac down in the Third Rail, she’d been grateful for the mask she’d had on. Those eyes of his were sharp enough to cut through steel and she’d felt more like that awkward twelve year old than she had in years talking to him. Could barely even stand to look at him properly, even when his gaze was turned away. So the fact that he hadn’t been able to see how nervous she really was, or the bright red tato shade her whole face had taken the moment he’d started talking to her was a blessing.

And he’d been  _ so _ kind. Such a gentleman given the odd circumstances she’d thrown his way. Dining with Cousin Mina was enough to rattle even Deacon, but Mac had done beautifully. So polite, showing an interest in the soup like he had; and attentive, the way he’d watched over her closely to make sure she ate. He’d never once brought up her tardiness or the unseemly blush in her cheeks or even how rude it was that she’d somehow fallen asleep before he’d even made it upstairs.

Not exactly her finest moment as a co-hostess...or employer, for that matter.

He didn’t know, and she’d never, ever tell him because it was terribly embarrassing, but her love for him had actually started to grow from that first morning. She was pretty sure, anyway. Emmy had always told her that love, when it hit you, felt like lightening. Like a sudden transformation. That had never happened for her though. Not with Nate and not even with Mac.

That first morning though. She’d woken early, as always, and he’d been sleeping so peacefully. His face soft and strangely gentle for the dangerous, ruthless merc he was supposed to have been. She’d stared at him a whole five minutes before remembering where she was and what she was supposed to be doing. He was just...beautiful. It was actually hard to look away. It had always been a challenge for her to look directly at people, but she wanted to with him. Wanted to stare at him until his image was burned into her retinas for all time.

He’d reminded her of a painting she’d seen once. In Brussels maybe? Or...no. No, it was definitely at the Louvre in Paris. The Sleep of Endymion. Where the sleeping hero was visited by Diana, disguised (if you could call it that) as a moonbeam.

She felt that traitorous heat rush into her cheeks just remembering it. It was silly. Schoolgirl silly. If she ever actually told him that he reminded her of a decidedly effeminate painting of a naked hero taking a nap in the woods, he’d think she was crazy. Not that he’d ever say it, of course. But he’d get that  _ look. _ The one that usually meant he had no idea what she was talking about or how to respond to it and she’d want to go crawl in a hole somewhere and just  _ die _ because she hated that look.

Her ability to read faces might be lacking, but even she knew when someone was just nodding along to be polite.

Speaking of polite, there were still days when she could not believe she’d kissed him first. Could not believe it. It was...incredibly out of character for her. Bold. Daring. Emmy-like. She’d never been so forward in all her life. Her heart had been pounding away in her ears and she’d watched herself do it from somewhere far outside her psyche. Something had changed in her. The night before, when he’d saved her from that disgusting radroach. Staring up at him as he yelled and waved his knife around and she’d been shocked at how safe and protected she’d felt and then, somehow, the words ‘I love you’ had almost slipped out.

That had been terrifying. She’d really thought she’d said it outloud at first when he’d suddenly stopped ranting, but then she realized he was responding to her crying. Going from enraged merc to thoughtful sweetheart like it was nothing. Comforting her even though she was being utterly ridiculous, like she always got when emotions were involved.

If his pants hadn’t fallen down, she’d probably still made an ass out of herself right then and there. Declaring her love for someone she’d just met and barely knew like a crazy person. Knowing him as she did now, she was pretty sure he’d have bolted for the hills had that happened.

Instead, the absurd impulse had been blocked by an even more absurd moment and she’d laughed until he’d gone back to his post.

But after...things had gotten so difficult. She’d hired Mac so she could work out what to do about Shaun and the Institute and all that, but instead found herself thinking about him more often than not. Tripping over curbs and bouncing off walls because she was so absorbed in daydreams and impossible scenarios where he somehow magically realized how she felt without her having to actually suck it up and tell him properly.

She’d never managed to get those little gestures down. The covertly flirtatious things women did with their bodies and faces that let men know they were interested without being uncouth about it. Emmy had tried teaching her over and over but it never stuck. All she could really remember was they liked it when you flipped your hair for some reason and, of course, her old foe, extended eye contact, which she couldn’t manage even in the best of circumstances. Her nerves had been completely shot just walking in front of him, making herself keep her eyes forward and not on him the whole way. Every time he’d touched her elbow to gently redirect her away from an obvious obstacle or chuckled behind her, shivers had gone up her spine.

She’d been doing pretty well, or so she liked to tell herself. Keeping things professional and dignified. Then those deathclaws had happened and she’d found herself squished into a sweltering metal tube with him and the moment his arms had gone around her waist, she’d been lost. Completely lost. She doubted a single drop of blood had remained in her head.

Certainly she’d felt brain dead. There’d been a strange buzzing where the regular constant noise was. It razed everything to the ground and left nothing but him in its wake.

Of course, she was happy she’d done it now. Mac was wonderful and she could probably write an entire novel on all the reasons why, but he was also shockingly blind to it at times. Oh, sure, he was proud of his skills as a sniper (with good reason) and his ability to melt her into a senseless puddle (with even better reason), but his worth as a person? As the good, kind, thoughtful, wonderful man he was? No. He didn’t see it. Couldn’t see it, maybe. Like a butterfly missing out on how beautiful it actually was while it showed its colors to the world.

If she hadn’t made that first move, she wasn’t entirely sure that he would have ever made a move after it. He kept her on such a high pedestal, even now. She wasn’t sure how he did that, actually. He  _ lived _ with her. Saw the real her under the icon she’d somehow become. You’d think he’d know better, but he didn’t.

Robert Joseph MacCready, natural born leader, a completely self-made man, hardened by his life experiences and blessed with a mind both quick and clever, actually looked at her and saw someone...amazing. Wonderful. Worthy. The person she wanted to be.

She’d never understand it and it was a big part of why she shied away from his love of the Nuka Cadet so hard. Part of her still worried that he’d only initially been interested in her because that silly campaign had been imprinted on every man’s mind in what was left of the free world since the bombs fell. It was impossible not to.

He was just so...great. Great and wonderful and, as far as she was concerned, as close to perfect as a man could possibly achieve. She didn’t deserve someone like that. All she did was make more trouble for him. Make his life more complicated.

There was a teeny, tiny part of her that still whispered he probably wouldn’t come back at all. That he’d find some nice, normal Wasteland girl who didn’t have quite so much trouble following her all the time. Someone he wouldn’t have to share with anyone else. Settle back down in the Capitol Wasteland and raise Duncan to be…

Nora shook her head and set the brush down. No. That was enough of that. He’d promised he’d come home and Mac didn’t break his promises. Her hands quickly worked her hair into a braid and she tucked the few strands that kept slipping free behind her ears. There was the smallest hint, just the edge really, of that beautifully colored bruise his teeth had left on her neck, showing above the collar of her dress. Her fingers traced it for a moment, smiling at the memory it evoked. She tugged at the fabric a bit, but it was no use. It slipped right back into place every time.

Shaun wouldn’t notice, and if he did, he wouldn’t know what it was. But Hancock and Deacon undoubtedly would. Hancock was too chivalrous to comment on it, but Deacon was...well, Deacon. He’d probably make some joke that she wouldn’t get until hours had passed and he was out of range for her wrath. As usual.

Nothing to be done for it though. It wasn’t even that she particularly cared that either of them knew about...the sorts of things she and Mac did while in private. It was more that she didn’t want to share it with anyone else. Ever. She had so few secrets that were all her own and this was by far her favorite.

She knew there was talk (because she’d overheard it at the Castle among the soldiers) that she wore the pants in their relationship, so to speak. That Mac always following her, the not-so-silent twin to Deacon’s constant shadow, was somehow indicative of how their relationship actually worked. That she was the General all the time. Where she commanded, he obeyed. That sort of thing.

Her first instinct, as always, had been to correct them. Living a truthful life had always been important to her and it felt dishonest to let misunderstandings like that stand. Mac said he was fine with it though. That there was no shame in being thought of as the Minutemen General’s plaything. That it just added to her mystique and the growing legend of her unassailable strength and tenacity. Her being thought of as bringing a well-known hotshot mercenary to his knees, literally, was somehow a good thing.

Nora didn’t completely understand it herself, but she thought of Mac as an expert on reading both people and situations so she had to trust his judgement. It was probably the same as Hancock letting people believe they were an item as well. He’d told her it kept her protected, especially in Goodneighbor, from people with less than honorable intentions getting close to her. That the looming, unspoken threat of his knife at their throats would keep all but the most persistent suitors from knocking her door down.

Actually, now that she was thinking about it, she wondered if people still thought that. She and Mac had been pretty open about their relationship, but now he was gone, and he’d be gone for a long time. Would people see this as some kind of opportunity? Mistakenly believe she was now free to pursue?

Her status as General, not to mention mayor of Sanctuary, made her an attractive prospect for eligible bachelors. She understood that, at least. The Cabot name had made her a target before the bombs had dropped in the same way, despite her best attempts to give off a ‘not at all interested thank you’ kind of vibe. Emmy had always assumed she was simply oblivious, and she  _ was _ a little slow when it came to sussing out a person’s intentions, but even she understood what a hand squeezing her ass meant.

She wasn’t daft, after all. Just... _ not interested. _

If people were going to start trying all that nonsense, she’d just have to live with whatever lie Deacon and Hancock crafted to keep her safe until Mac got back. Somehow. Just raising Shaun took up most of her emotional energy. Having to fend off unwelcome suitors on top of that just sounded exhausting.

There were only so many ways a lady could politely say ‘no’ before violence erupted. Especially in the modern world, where it was not only accepted, but expected. She’d slapped more than her fair share of wolves and rakes before marrying Nate. The ring flashing on her finger in the years that followed had been as much a promise of his love as it was a warning to other men that she was taken. Quite effective in both theory and practice.

Nowadays though, if somebody tried something, who knew what her reaction might be?

She thought it over for a minute and shook her head. Well. Hardly befitting a General to shoot a man at point-blank range just because he couldn’t keep his hands to himself, but there it was. That’s absolutely what would happen. She knew it without a doubt. She’d have to talk to the boys at breakfast. See if they could cook something up to take the pressure off.

She was already starting to feel a little like a hunted rabbit and the season hadn’t even opened yet. That didn’t bode well for anyone who tried anything.

Nora managed to make the bed on her way out. Holding her breath and not letting her eyes linger anywhere for too long. Codsworth would probably let her get away with keeping the same sheets for a week. Maybe two if she really put her foot down about it. But eventually things would have to be washed.

That was going to be a sad day. Sad wash day, when usually it was so nice. A chance to make the world a little brighter and cleaner.

She tried to not look too glum as she returned to the kitchen and wordlessly took a bowl from Codsworth. Muffin batter. He was making muffins. Those little mutfruit muffins Mac loved so much with the powdered silt beans for added protein for growing children and…

“Oh! Oh, Mum! Are you quite alright?”

Shit. Nora wiped the tears off her cheeks and nodded, “Yes, I’m fine.”

“Missing him already, ay?” He clucked sympathetically. “Well, young Sir will be home before you know it!”

“I know.”

“And then we’ll have Master Duncan to help raise! Won’t that be nice?”

“Yes, it will.”

“That’s it, Mum. Just focus on the positive!”

“Right.” She couldn’t stand it. Kindness even from a robot was too much today. “I’m going to go...check on the chickens.”

“Oh...I’ve already collected the eggs.”

“I know. I’ll...I’ll feed them.”

“Already took care of that as well.”

Anger suddenly engulfed her and she slammed the bowl on the counter. “I just want to see the damn chickens, Codsworth! Is that okay? Am I allowed to do that in my own house?”

He actually drifted a few paces back and carefully slid the bowl away from her. “Of course, Mum. Apologies.”

It was gone as soon as it had appeared. She immediately felt awful. The worst person in the world to yell at a being created to make her life easier and better. A gift from her late husband to boot. Her family and friend. Guilt and shame crawled up her throat and she shook her head. “No, I’m...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled.”

“It’s quite alright.” One of his appendages gingerly patted her shoulder a few times. “Come to think of it, I’m not quite sure if I remembered to change their water…”

She frowned, “You’re not supposed to lie. Your programming prohibits it.”

“Ah...well, I think perhaps we’ve all grown a little beyond our programming by this point, don’t you?”

At least one of them had, apparently. Nora turned away and went out the side door, quietly closing it behind Dogmeat as he trotted after her. The chickens had a coop at the end of their carport, protected by both the house itself and the sturdy metal wall Mac had constructed behind the coop itself. She stood silent, feeling lost and adrift, watching them peck and scratch at the concrete but not really seeing anything.

Dogmeat sat next to her and whined up at her. Her eyes drifted to his and she stared down at him. The only being she was comfortable holding eye contact with was a dog. That was pathetic. She couldn’t even manage to interact with her Mister Handy correctly and yet these people all expected her to lead them to...she didn’t even know. Greatness or the glory days of yesteryear or...whatever. It had seemed possible with Mac at her side, but now…

She wasn’t strong enough for this. All her strength had been used up and extinguished taking down the Institute and no one seemed to have noticed yet. Not Mac or Deacon or Hancock or anyone. They all still looked at her like she was a wonder. Someone with all the answers who could take care of everyone. Literally everyone. The entire Commonwealth sat on her shoulders and as of this moment, it was an overwhelming, crushing weight. She was unfit for duty. Someone should take the hat from her now before she did any real damage to the office, shouldn’t they?

“Oh, Dogmeat. What am I going to do?” She abruptly sat down on the cold pavement and hugged him tightly, sobbing into his fur.

Codsworth, hovering quietly just inside the kitchen door, turned to the oven and pulled the biscuits out. Not quite done to the General Atomics and RobCo professional culinary standards installed on his hard drive, but it would have to do.

The prime directive of his programming was the safety and security of his family. First, foremost, always. Miss Nora was in distress. Mister MacCready was unavailable. Young Shaun was due home any moment and the child finding his mother in such a state was unacceptable.

He silently left the house and sped along to the hospital, one aperture on the lookout to make sure he wasn’t caught. Discretion was of the utmost importance. The Cabot-Johnson household had always been a very private, quiet sort of home. His mistress was a woman of great intelligence and refinement, but the price she paid for it seemed to be these rare little emotional wobbles. Master Nate had long ago instructed him what to do in these circumstances and, though he had to modify those subroutines a bit for the unforeseen conditions of a post-war world, he would faithfully execute that plan until his last spark.

The hospital was actually still quiet when he floated through it’s doorway. It was late in the morning for Shaun to still be asleep, but in his database, in the activities subsection listed under ‘sleepovers and slumber parties’, there was an entry about children being allowed to stay up very late and a note to bypass usual adherence to healthy living protocols during such events.

He was not sure why humans would delight in over-fueling themselves and testing the uppermost limits of their physicality by seeing how exhausted they could become before it overtook them, but as beings of free will, that was their prerogative.

Codsworth entered Deacon’s room and accessed the situation. Two adult humans, one child. X6 was actually asleep, for the first time he’d ever seen. Or anyone had seen, to his knowledge. If Miss Nora weren’t in such distress, he’d go get her so she could see it for herself. As she was indisposed, he instead discreetly took a photo to later upload to her Pip-boy.

Mister Deacon was likewise occupied. A long line of drool fell from the corner of his mouth and onto his pillow. His sensors swept over him and he had to immediately suppress his first aid protocols. So much pain and not a drop of chemical relief in his system. It was a wonder the man could function as much as he did.

Dear Shaun was curled up with Mister Deacon on the bed, holding tight to the quaint stuffed rabbit Miss Nora had so carefully handcrafted for him. Codsworth fretfully pulled the blanket up a little further over his shoulders and tutted quietly to himself. At least they had remembered to put the boy’s pajamas on. Correctly, even. That must have been X6’s doing. He was methodical enough to almost be a Mister Handy himself, albeit without the RobCo standard programmed in social graces.

Mayor Hancock was missing. He extended his sweep and zeroed in on him. Outside. Against the building’s east wall. Observing the sunrise, no doubt, as many philosopher types seemed to do. According to his database of such things, at least. He had not ever been acquainted with a true philosopher to his knowledge, but Mayor Hancock nonetheless seemed to fit the type. A philosopher politician. It made his humor receptors hum processing the concept and he made a note to mention it to Miss Nora at a later date.

He zipped back out, quietly closing the door behind him, and moved to intercept.

Hancock was indeed watching the sunrise. Smoking either his first cigarette of the day or perhaps the last from the night before. He smiled at Codsworth as he floated up. He’d always liked this Mister Handy.

Hell of a lot more polite than his own, that was for damn sure.

“Hey, Codsworth. How’s it hangin’?”

“Good morning, Mayor Hancock. I do hate to interrupt you, but Miss Nora requires your assistance.”

“Assistance?” He frowned a little, “How’s she doing this morning?”

“Not well, I’m afraid, sir. If you would?” He moved back a bit and gestured towards the house.

Shit. Mac couldn’t even be gone an hour at most and she was already… “Yeah. Yeah, sure. Where’s she at?”

“By the chickens, sir.”

“Thanks.”

He strode across the broken sidewalks and down the street. Codsworth sped ahead of him, muttering about gravy or some shit. He barely spared him a glance though.

From the front of her carport, you almost couldn’t tell anything was wrong. There was a telltale dog tail quietly wagging against the concrete though, way in the back. Behind her workbenches and the bins she kept her own personal scrap in. Hancock walked over on silent feet. If she knew he was coming, she’d try her damndest to pull everything inside herself like she always did. The only way he’d ever found to quickly get to the heart of the matter with her was by catching her unawares and slipping in under the defenses before she got them pulled down.

He found her curled up around Dogmeat, no doubt soaking the poor mutt’s fur all the way through with her crying. It might have just been his imagination, but he could almost swear he could see hopeful relief in the dog’s eyes as he turned his head up to him.

“Sunshine.”

Her head snapped up and he could see her ready to deny deny deny until her face crumpled and she reached for him. “John?”

He knelt down and pulled her against him. The hard surface was hell on his knee, so he sat instead. Not that it was much better on his bony ass, but his coat provided some cushion. Nora curled into him the same way she had the dog (who had already disappeared, he noted) and was clutching at his shirt, rubbing those same old circles into the ancient silk and stammering out apologies while he rocked her.

Felt familiar. Real familiar.

When she stared up at him it clicked. This was like when she came back from the Institute that first time. When her whole world had been set sideways and utterly wrecked. It was already that bad.

His eyes slid down to the purple love bite on her throat and he laughed at himself. Okay, so the situation was a _ bit _ different. It was a lot easier to keep his baser instincts in check when she was wearing the marks of another man. You’d think it would make him jealous, but he was weirdly grateful for the reminder.

“It’ll be alright. We’ll be alright.”

She nodded and went back to sniffling against his neck.

“You gotta keep it together, love. It’d break Mac’s heart knowing you were this bad off.”

“I know.”

Of course she knew. She knew Mac better than anyone by now. They’d been two peas in a pod for months. He tried a different angle, “I think this time apart is gonna be good for the both of you. I really do.”

“What?”

“Well, you remember what I told Goodneighbor that first time we went out on an adventure, right?”

The little circles slowed and she thought back, “That...like any hot-and-heavy relationship, sometimes you needed to cool off and remember who you were before you came back together.”

“Yeah. That.”

“You think we’ll be stronger for the experience.”

“Exactly.”

“I don’t feel stronger.”

“Well, no. Not yet. But listen...I’ve been thinking...been reading some of those books your cousin sent.”

“The psychology textbooks?”

“Yeah. Interesting stuff. You know...who you were, before all this, she’s gone.”

“I know.”

“Yeah, but the thing is, you’ve been running from fight to fight since you woke up, never taking a moment to rest. Living through all this trauma bullshit.” He tapped her chin so she’d look up at him, “Do you even know who you are now?”

She opened her mouth to answer and then closed it, looking troubled. “I...I’m not sure.”

“Well...this here’s your shot, right? Figure out exactly who you are, all on your own. Then when Mac comes back, he’s coming back to the new you. The real you...and that’ll be good for the both of you, right?”

“Right.”

“Well, there you go.”

“What if he doesn’t like who I turn out to be?”

“Impossible. He’s already seen you at your worst, little sister. Now you’ve got a chance to show him your best.”

Nora frowned thoughtfully and counted the stitches that ran along the front of Hancock’s coat, trying to imagine what a square inch looked like and then focusing on the thread inside of it. The counting gave her mind something to chew on while she worked at the actual problem he’d given her.

A better version of herself. Was that possible? She felt like she was always working to be better than she was. Maybe it was a different kind of better. More hip to this world and less cowed by the old.

It’s not like she could change who she fundamentally was. She was never going to fully understand standard social interactions or pick up every time someone was sarcastic or outright lying to her. She’d probably always feel anxious when there was no logical reason. Always blush whenever Mac touched her or gave her that look that made her feel all tingly and breathless.

She’d have to relearn a lot of things. Study up with Cait and Deacon especially. Both of them seemed capable of fitting in anywhere and everywhere. Learn to be more flexible...or at least how to bend around these new rules and standards.

Maybe it really would be good. Trying would definitely be good. An experiment of sorts, just on herself. Maybe keep a journal for it so she could check her progress. Jack could probably help her with some of it. He’d specialized in rehabilitating people at Parsons for all those years. Surely to goodness he could teach her how to better embrace the puzzling chaos of this new world. Emmy was out. Her nihilistic approach to life hadn’t changed one iota since the old days that Nora could see. The entire world had turned on its head, but not Emmy. Oh, no. She was too stubborn for that.

Decision made.

She absentmindedly noted to herself that Hancock’s frock coat truly was a work of art. Whatever seamstress had done the sewing ages ago had somehow managed to pack in fifty tiny back stitches in a single inch. That was more than twice the average. No wonder it had held together for so long.

“Hancock?”

“Yeah?”

“Your coat is really beautiful.”

He chuckled for some inexplicable reason and gently removed her from his lap, getting on his feet before pulling her up, too. “I think you’re gonna be okay, Sunshine.”

“Yeah...I think so, too.”


	8. Shadowboxing in the Dark

Curie and Mac stood at the steps to Bunker Hill, staring up at the monument as the sunset turned the polished white granite fiery orange. She was, as always, awed by the obelisk. He was, as ever, somewhat less than impressed.

“Every time I see it my breath is taken away. It is so... _ tall.” _

“Thing’s pitiful. Just wait to til you see the one in Washington.”

“Yes, I understand it is quite substantial, no?”

“Yeah. You can’t even imagine.”

“I cannot wait!”

“Anyway...this here’s a great spot to bunker down…” He waited for some kind of reaction to his terrible joke, but she merely stared at him with those earnest eyes and nodded like he’d just gifted her with more priceless knowledge. Just like she’d been doing all day.

“Ah, yes, I see! The sturdy walls and so many vendors inside. Most convenient. They went to great trouble to defend this place.”

Mac tried not to sigh. She looked so much like Nora, and they had so much in common, but clearly they did not share the same sense of humor. He’d been hitting her with some of his best-worst jokes and puns for hours and nothing. Not so much as a giggle.

It was gonna be a very long walk down south. He could already tell.

“You’ve been here before, right?”

_ “Oui! _ Several times with Madame.”

“Okay, great. You wanna go get us our rooms? I’ll see if our friends have shown up yet.”

“Of course! This will give me an opportunity to ask both Monsieurs Savaldi to participate in my study!”

“Great.” It would also guarantee that they got the best price for the rooms. Especially since Joe was famous for his long, bear-trap memory. He was probably still nursing a grudge from the last time Mac had been through here.

He headed for the vendor’s pavilion and squinted until his eyes adjusted. It was twilight outside, but inside was bright as day with all the lights and neon. When they’d rebuilt this place, they’d certainly done it up big. Deb was just starting to close up shop, chitchatting with a man in a familiar patched hat. Mac slipped up behind him, a mischievous grin on his face.

“Not every day you see a tumbleweed in a top hat.”

The caravanner turned and smiled, “Big words from somebody with a two gallon head in a ten gallon hat.” He gave him a quick hug and flicked his brim. “Thought you had better taste than that.”

“Hey, now, my girl gave me this. Says I look like a cowboy in it.”

“Well that’s awfully charitable of you, kid, hooking up with a blind girl like that.”

“Ha ha.”

Deb grinned at him, “Actually, Ricky --”

“We’ve been over this,  _ cariña. _ It’s  _ Enrique. _ Not Ricky.”

“-- Mac’s girl is famous around these parts. Well...around the whole dang world, probably.”

_ “¿Neta?” _

Mac’s eyes landed on the old Nuka Cadet poster right behind her and he cleared his throat a little to get her attention, making sure to enunciate in a way that she’d understand, “Yeah, she’s the Minutemen’s general.” He glared at her and mentally added ‘and that’s  _ all _ she is.’

Deb seemed to understand, even if she looked a little confused, “Oh...yeah. Yeah, she is.”

“A general!  _ ¡A poco! _ Comin’ up in the world, huh, Mac?”

“Something like that.”

“Well? Where’s she at?”

“Oh, she’s staying home this trip. Got a son of her own and, you know, the Commonwealth to run and all. Kinda busy.”

He patted his shoulder, “Ah. New woman, new life...and now you get to bring your boy up here. I’m happy for you,  _ hermano. _ You look good. You feel good, yeah? It’s nice to see. When I brought you up here, it felt like herding death. Now maybe we can have some fun, eh?”

“Fun like last time?”

Enrique laughed, “No, no, of course not. Real fun this time.”

“Uh-huh. Still with the same crew?”

“Ah, no. We lost Emily.”

“Oh, sh-shoot. What happened?”

He shrugged, “Knocked up by some guy outta Philly. Lives there now. You shoulda seen her. Big as a house. Baby’s due right around...wait, what day is it?”

“Last day of March.”

“Oh...well, it should be here by now. Maybe we’ll get to meet ‘em. We should get a gift somewhere along the way, right?” He laughed, “Although, knowing Em, she probably just wants caps, yeah?”

“Wait, was that...did she get pregnant on the way up here when I came up?”

_ “Si.” _

Holy fuck. That could’ve been his baby. Emily had been cute and eager and available, and they’d gotten pretty far a couple of times, but he’d still been too depressed over his whole life situation back then to seal the deal. At the time, he’d been mortified, but damn. Guess his dick really knew what it was doing after all.

He did consider her a friend though and he was happy for her. Getting pregnant in the wastes was miracle enough. Actually delivering the baby was…

“Hey, I’m escorting a doctor this time. She really knows her sh-stuff. I can ask her to give them a proper check up.”

Enrique clapped, “Now that is the perfect present! I’ll pay for her services. It can be from both of us.”

“Sure. Sounds good.”

“Oh, who’s going with you, Mac? Anybody I know?”

“Curie.”

Deb blinked, “Curie?”

“Yup.”

“Little brunette? Talks funny?”

“Yeah. You know her?”

She snorted, “Oh, yeah. Yeah, I know her...does he know her?” She tilted her head towards Enrique.

“Uh...no.”

Her eyes shifted to a point over his shoulder and she laughed, “Oh, I am so glad I get to witness this.”

“What?” Mac turned and Curie was bouncing over to them, still excited to be out and about.

_ “Bonsoir! _ Is this our guide, Mac? He looks very nice!”

Enrique actually pushed him aside to get right in front of Curie and took her hand, pressing a kiss against her knuckles.  _ “¡Hola, hermoso ángel! Mi nombre es Enrique. Soy tu sirviente más humilde. ¿Cuál es tu nombre?” _

She beamed at him, “Oh! Spanish! I love Spanish!  _ Hola, Enrique. Mi nombre es Curie.  _ _ ¡Mucho gusto!” _

Mac sighed heavily as they traded pleasantries. He’d kinda been hoping to keep most of this trip in English, since it was the only language he actually knew. “I didn’t know you spoke Spanish, Curie.”

Enrique was still reverently holding her hand, but she didn’t seem to notice. “Ah! Yes, I was programmed with… ah… I mean, I have  _ learned _ many languages. I am what is called a polyglot.”

“What’s that?”

“Someone who knows many languages! I speak...well, I could once remember over forty-five  _ thousand _ languages! But… in my current state, I can only remember twenty or so. It is most troubling to me how limited the memory in the human mind actually is.”

Jesus. “And Spanish is one of the ones you remember?”

“Of course! There have always been many, many people who speak Spanish here in Amer… ah, the wasteland. It was given priority over other, less common languages, which is why I retained it even after the transfer.”

He appreciated the effort she was making to not sound like a robot who’d been stuffed into a person, even if she wasn’t doing so hot with it. “That’s amazing.”

_ “Merci!” _

“I only know the one language.”

“Oh...that is most unfortunate.” She thought it over for a moment, “Then I will endeavor to only speak English on this trip!”

“Oh, no, you don’t --”

“Madame said that you were to be in charge while we were on the road, so… you are technically my primary user, yes? It only makes sense to stick with English.”

Deb frowned heavily at him, “Primary  _ user? _ What’s that supposed to mean?”

It meant it was bedtime for Curie was what it meant. Mac shrugged, “I dunno, she usually speaks French or whatever. Nora’s been working with her, but she still gets stuff… ya know, confused. I think she’s just trying to say I’m the boss this trip.”

_ “Oui! _ Mac is the boss!”

“There you go.”

“And my  _ grand-père...  _ no matter what Madame says.” She grumbled the last little bit and huffed.

“Uh-huh.” He put his hands on her shoulders and steered her away from her newest admirer and Deb’s sharp gaze, “Well, we’re gonna hit the hay. See you at six, Enrique?”

“What? It’s early yet, kid! Let’s all relax, maybe get to know each other…”

“Ah! This would be lovely, yes?”

“Curie isn’t used to traveling yet. She needs the rest.”

She pouted a little, “I do not feel tired, but if you say it is so, then it must be true.”

“Yup.”

Enrique was also pouting, “Guess I’ll meet you out front. Six sharp. I’ll introduce you to the new guy then.”

“Sounds good. Come on, Curie. Let’s go get a good night’s sleep, okay?”

“Yes. Fine. I will get to know you another time, Monsieur Enrique.”

“Yes, you will,  _ bonita!” _

Mac marched her back to their rooms and only took his hand off her shoulder once she was in hers. “You stay here, alright? No sneaking out to collect specimens or whatever. I mean it.”

She looked shocked that he would even suggest such a thing. “I would never!”

“Alright, well...sorry, but sometimes you look so much like Nora I get confused. I keep forgetting you’ve got a little more sense.” Like a mouse’s fart’s worth, but somehow it made all the difference.

“Ah! Do you  _ really _ think I look like Madame?”

“Well...yeah. Has no one ever told you that before?”

“No, you are the first.”

“Oh.” Weird. They could practically be sisters. “Well, you do.”

Her hands went to her cheeks and she stared at him, wide-eyed. “I had no idea this body was so beautiful.”

Mac chuckled, “Okay, well… good night, Curie.”

“Good night, Mac. Thank you for your very kind words.”

“No problem.”

He waited until he heard her door lock before he went to his own room next door. Bunker Hill hadn’t refurbished the hotel side of things, unfortunately. He was still stuck with the same old nasty mattress and open window. At least he knew this time he wouldn’t wake up to Deacon’s face leering at him from the shadows. There was no way he could handle the distance, let alone the rickety stairs, in his current condition.

His bedroll stayed attached to his pack. It would be a pain in the ass to wrestle it back into submission in the morning and it wasn’t that cold. Just the woolen blanket on top would be fine so long as he kept his clothes on.

It had been a while since he’d roughed it though. He didn’t realize how spoiled he’d become by their bed back home until he laid down on the mattress and immediately made a face at the way the springs seemed to either be nonexistent or homicidal with nothing in between.

Mac sat back up and sighed. It really was way too early to sleep, and he’d meant to make sure Curie ate first. Keeping her safe and relatively un-harassed though was important to him. Nora had stressed how sheltered she still was and how this trip would be the first time she’d traveled with anyone who wasn’t her or Deacon. It was up to him to make sure she returned home none the worse for wear, and as far as he was concerned, that included keeping her away from ill-advised romances with nomadic caravanners.

He pulled his pack over to look for something to eat and the smaller one dangling off of it caught his attention. He’d nearly forgotten. Shaun and Nora’s gift for Duncan.

Such a thoughtful thing to do. He knew they were both probably busy at home right now getting the boys’ room all ready. Codsworth had only asked him a million times what Duncan’s favorite colors were and his explanation of ‘just being curious’ had fallen pretty flat. It was cute how the three of them were all so terrible at keeping a surprise under wraps but still made the effort anyway.

He opened the little leather bag and was kind of surprised at how much stuff they’d been able to pack into it. Comics and crayons, a whole notebook of recycled paper for him to draw on. There was a copy of Shaun’s favorite story, ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’. That almost made tears come to his eyes. It was the book Nora had first read to them both when she’d finally come back to reality after that messy Institute business.

A thick book with plastic pages turned out to be the photo album she’d mentioned. All the pictures were taken from weirdly low angles and he remembered she’d said Shaun had taken them. Every building and family in Sanctuary was carefully documented. Deacon practically had an entire page, as did Dogmeat. His eyes lingered on all the ones with Nora in them, and there were a lot. Nora with the barn kittens, Nora with Dogmeat, Nora laughing with Deacon, Nora beaming with her face squished next to Shaun’s as he clumsily tried to take his own picture. He chuckled as he turned the page and, once again, tears filled his eyes.

Shaun must have had Codsworth help him a bit, because this photo, of him and Nora slow dancing in the living room together, had to have been taken far after his bedtime. He could remember that night like it had just happened. A quiet house after another long day, DCR softly playing on the radio. Nora had risen from the couch and taken his hand. They’d danced even through Travis’s stuttering announcements. Didn’t even need music.

God, he missed her. He’d only been gone a day and it was already unbearable.

He was surprised at his own image. Sure, Nora had mirrors and things, but other than maintaining his facial hair, he barely ever looked in them. He’d definitely filled out some. Almost looked healthy. Maybe even grown a little taller? Or was that just wishful thinking?

There was a polite knock on the door and then Curie’s voice carried through,  _ “Pardon, _ Mac? You are still awake, yes?”

“Uh, yeah. Hang on.” He stuffed everything back into the satchel and tossed it back over with his stuff before getting up to answer the door. Curie still had her black jumpsuit on and smiled brightly at him.

_ “Bonsoir!” _

“Hey.”

She held up a bottle of pills, “I nearly forgot. These are for you.”

“Uh...thanks?” He took the bottle and opened it. Fat oblong pills. Didn’t look like any chem he’d ever seen. “What are they?”

“Ah! Well! They ah…”, she frowned thoughtfully. “How do you say it? They...make you big and strong?” Her arm curled up as if she was showing off her biceps.

“Like a vitamin?”

“Yes! You have heard of vitamins?”

“Sure, there’s a doc in Rivet City who…” A memory flashed through his head of Lucy, pregnant and anxious while Doc Preston checked their baby’s progress using some complicated machine. The look of bright joy on her face when he announced their child looked perfect thus far, despite their time out in the wastes. Mac cleared his throat a little, “He prescribes them to any pregnant women who come through. Says it helps the babies grow right.”

Her eyes got a little sad, “Ah, and your wife took them, yes? This is how your son was so healthy before he became ill?”

“Yeah, part of it, I guess.”

“I also have some for him in my pack. Smaller though.”

“Wow, thanks, but I don’t really think  _ I’ll  _ need them. I mean, I’m finished growing, right?”

Her head tilted a little, “But surely Madame would like it if you took them, I think. I created them with her in mind… and your continued good health, too, of course.”

“Oh.” She was right. Nora probably would feel better at the idea of him taking vitamins to stay healthy while he was on the road. It’s not like they could hurt anything...probably. “They’re safe, right?”

“Of course they are! I did many tests!”

“Okay. Okay, yeah. Sure. Why not?”

“Please take one every night before you sleep so your body can best utilize them.”

“Sure. I can do that. Hey, you’ve got food in your pack, right? I kinda forgot about dinner.”

“Yes, would you like something?”

“No, I mean, you should eat. I’ve got my own food.”

“Ah! Of course. I will return to my room and eat and then go straight to bed.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

She turned to go and then paused, “And please, let me know if you experience any side-effects. Anything at all.”

“Sure. Good night.”

_ “Bonne nuit.” _

He once again shut his door and sniffed at the pills. They had an odd, metallic kind of scent to them, but nothing too terrible. He appreciated her thinking of Duncan, too, and if he dutifully took one every night, then he could no doubt convince him to do the same. Set a good example and all that.

Mac shrugged to himself and popped one in his mouth. It felt grainy going down and he made a face. Definitely something that was going to require Nuka or something stronger to wash down.

He fished one out from his pack and quickly downed half the bottle. Well...if nothing else, he could always bribe Duncan with a sip of soda if he took it, right? That was...he frowned. No, that wasn’t good parenting at all, was it? He couldn’t imagine Codsworth or Nora thinking that was a solid strategy.

Duncan had been so small when he’d left, and Mac had been so focused on setting up a home and all, that he’d largely left most of the actual daily child-rearing to Bryan and Charon after Lucy’s death. He loved his son more than anything, it was just that he’d never truly felt comfortable being in charge of him. That was always Lucy’s job.

She'd been the smart one. The sweet one. The one who knew exactly how to make the bad dreams go away or soothe a boo-boo. He was never as aware of what a dirty, coarse sort of person he really was as when he held his son. He’d known the second Duncan had been born that he wasn’t good enough, was just going to somehow screw it all up. He’d never had a father, and he’d never really gotten along with kids even when he was one. So he’d just stuck with what he’d always done best, carved a line around those he loved in blood and held it.

And look how that had turned out. He’d screwed the pooch there as well. Couldn’t even keep his own wife and baby safe from ferals. Not even something with a fucking working brain. He’d really been that stupid. He’d let brainless monsters destroy his family all because of a half-assed a perimeter check.

That guilt would never go away and he didn’t deserve any kind of pardon for his actions, but somehow the universe had granted him one, a  _ big _ one, in the form of a pre-war popsicle pin-up. He was pretty sure he must have been some kind of martyr in a past life to cash in that kind of karma.

Having Nora in his life meant he didn’t have to worry about the kind of man Duncan would grow up to be, because she’d be there to make sure shit got done right. She’d told him about how she’d worked so hard to be ready for parenthood. All the books she’d read, and the classes she’d taken. Actual classes taught by...he didn’t even know, baby technicians or something. He’d watched her with Shaun and was blown away by how effortlessly gentle and patient she could be. How she somehow knew every answer to every question the kid asked...and he asked a  _ ton. _ As far as he could see, she was the perfect mother. If Lucy could somehow see them from heaven or wherever it was angels flew after they died, he had zero doubts she’d be thrilled to have someone like Nora help raise their son.

Not to mention, Codsworth had programming specific to childcare. Curie was a former Miss Nanny. They had a school right across the street, tons of families in Sanctuary, more adopted relatives than you could shake a stick at. Duncan could grow up happy. Safe. They’d be able to provide so much more than just three squares and a decent roof.

Even in the Capitol Wasteland, his friends,  _ Lucy’s _ friends, had rallied around him after she’d died. He didn’t know what he would’ve done without them. Bryan Wilks had been raised in Rivet City by his Aunt Vera, who was probably one of the most sophisticated and best educated women in the whole damn region. He had genteel manners under the gritty explorer exterior and shared the same high standards for home life Lucy had aspired to.

Charon was...well, honestly, he wasn’t sure what the hell Charon was. He remembered him from all the way back when he’d been traveling along with that idiot from 101. The littles in Lamplight used to lose their minds whenever he was around, climbing all over the reserved ghoul like he was a jungle gym. His patience and tolerance for juvenile shenanigans was probably the only reason he hadn’t killed his former employer when he’d cavalierly handed his contract off to Bryan. Mac couldn’t even imagine traveling with someone to hell and back, having their six for years, and then one day being told they’d ‘gotten bored’ with the arrangement and sold you to some random buddy they’d bumped into one day. He’d have gone ape-shit.

The fact that 101 had blithely skipped away from that situation, as he so often did, was just further proof that the old saying was true: Providence protects children and idiots.

Mac felt like he’d jumped from crisis to crisis after his wife’s death. The ever-present fear that he was going to irrevocably screw up his kid somehow had been a little easier to ignore so long as he had a job to do, a target to hit, a day to save. But now, on this road, this final journey, what did he have? Nothing but a veritable wasteland paradise just waiting like some utopian dream. The pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

He’d never had something so good. Every day in Sanctuary, every day in Nora’s Commonwealth, was like a dream come true. A safe home, a surplus of food and a community that really, truly cared about each other. There were days when he woke up to the improbable sound of children at play outside their house. Kids hadn’t even had that in Lamplight, where childhood tended to end by the time you were five. Old enough for chores, old enough for guard duty, old enough for a vote and all the responsibilities that came along with it.

His most secret shame, something he never, ever wanted anyone else to know, was that first week, after Lucy’s death, he’d traveled there. Fully intending on leaving Duncan in the orphan basket by the front gate and walking away. He’d just been broken. It was bad enough knowing she was gone forever, but the way his son had clung to him, screaming for his mama over and over had driven home that truth he’d known since the first time he’d held him.

He was unfit. Inadequate. Deficient. Mac had never so clearly felt all of his own shortcomings as he had the moment Duncan had come into the world. The temper and the violence he’d always used to cover his weaknesses, and the staggering amount of filth he’d already accumulated on his soul at the tender age of seventeen and a half. The scariest moment of his life up until that point had been when Lucy had given him a tired but ecstatic smile and placed their baby in his arms.

He’d felt filthy. Outside and in. Like just touching Duncan would somehow ruin him. He’d actually cried and his wife had thought it sweet. She’d assumed he’d felt as she did, awash in happiness and a whole new kind of love. Instead he’d just been terrified.

Duncan had been so small. So frail and squishy. He could barely even manage to hold him correctly. Panic had pressed in against him from all sides and he’d felt like he was drowning in inevitable doom and despair.

So Lucy had done the heavy lifting there. He’d been the working dad. Gone from their isolated homestead most of the time, showing up with toys and food and stories every few days. Back then Bryan and Charon had been looking for a base camp of sorts. Someplace the Brotherhood wouldn’t bother to look at. He’d traded their spare room in exchange for near round the clock protection for his family. Lucy had praised him for it. Calling him clever and responsible; a good daddy. When all it had really been was a way for him to feel a little less afraid all the time.

She’d even wanted more kids. He’d talked her into waiting until they’d moved somewhere far away from the Capitol Wasteland. Someplace good and green. A fresh start. She’d been so excited, covering him in kisses and insisting they start looking right away. Two weeks later, she was dead. Killed twice over by his own cowardice and duplicity.

So yeah, when confronted with the reality of his situation, he’d done what he’d grown up doing. He delegated. Clearly he wasn’t meant to be a father, or a husband for that matter, so he’d wrapped Duncan up and made the trip to Lamplight.

Except Lamplight wasn’t Lamplight anymore.

He’d once told Nora his friend Eclair had clued him in on that whole sorry situation, but that was a half-truth, too. Eclair  _ had _ told him what had happened, but it was months after he’d already seen it. He’d seen the cave with his own eyes, blacked with soot and smelling of ash and discharged laser fire. Gone was the ramshackle little town within with it’s walkways and hideyholes. The pack of dogs that had guarded the children of Lamplight for as long as anyone could remember had been slaughtered. He’d found their charred bones right near the entrance.

He’d trudged home to the farm, handed Duncan off to Bryan and walked away into the wilderness fully prepared to die. Almost managed it, too, but Charon found him. Pinned under a hungry yao guai, so close to death he could almost see the light and then a deafening boom and the animal had dropped right on top of him, crushing the air from his lungs. He’d just laid there. Too numb to even move. Too far down to give a rat’s ass.

Charon had wordlessly dragged him out from under the creature and then, when he made no attempt to get up, just kept dragging him. All the way back home.

They’d wanted answers. Demanded to know what had happened to the girl they’d also thought of as theirs. All he could give them was the name of the metro station it had happened in. Bryan dispatched Charon to investigate and when he returned, the only thing he had was a scrap of the shirt she’d been wearing.

It was the biggest piece of her he could find.

Bryan had been more of a father to Duncan after that than Mac ever had. It was just too hard to look at him in the months that followed. Hard to see her smile on his face and the way his eyes lit up the same way. Hard to hear him crying for her at night, too little to understand that Mama was never coming home. He’d spent increasing amounts of time out of the house. Scavenging and killing, taking on any and every job that came along no matter how dirty, trying to make all the caps he could so he could at least make Lucy’s final dream come true. Get Duncan out of there and someplace better.

It had just been more manageable for him to be a father from a distance. It made more sense. He’d never been the soft and cuddly type. Lucy’s influence aside, he was, at his core, just some punk kid who never knew when to shut the fuck up. He was convinced their survival at Lamplight under his so-called leadership had been a fluke. Knew with absolute certainty that the only reason their son had lived as long as he had was because his mother was an amazing woman; and the only reason she even  _ was _ his mother was because Mac had lied to her their entire relationship. Over and over. At every turn. He’d had endless opportunities to come clean. He knew it was in her nature to forgive and forget even the worst of transgressions. He had no excuse.

She’d died thinking he was some kind of hero. A beacon of rough wasteland justice and a model provider for their family.

But that truth. That horrible, awful, shameful truth that only he knew. It pressed down on him harder and harder, and it had only gotten worse since the day she’d died.

Because now, there was just him. Just some perpetual, professional fuck-up. That’s all Duncan had. Him.

And it wasn’t enough.

Then he’d gotten sick and the fear in Mac had twisted somehow into a new purpose. He’d sworn to be a better man, a stronger man. Finally grow up and be the guy he’d always pretended to be. To find a cure and save him at all costs.

Until he’d hit that wall of ferals in MedTek and couldn’t. So close to his goal, but a day late and a cap short as always. He’d just given up again, this time falling into debauched hedonism with Hancock in Goodneighbor. A slower way to go than gutting by yao guai, but it was still a one way street in the same direction.

Daisy had saved him from himself that time. Another person clearly a million times better at the whole parenting thing than he could ever be. She’d given him direction and guidance, stern lectures to get his ass in gear and a place to hide and cry when he needed it.

It had all lead to his first meeting with Nora. Following Nora. Loving Nora.

The way she looked at him, like he’d always save the day somehow, like he was  _ someone, _ was the same way Lucy had looked at him. It made him desperately want to  _ be _ that man. Be the person she saw. The one he strutted around and pretended to be.

That part had never been hard. Talk a big game, fight dirty, radiate sullen anger, keep yourself isolated. Combined with his shooting ability and penchant for lashing out at the first sign of trouble, it had all coalesced into a hardened merc rep that he’d happily embraced.

Her faith in him, hopelessly misplaced and just flat out  _ wrong, _ as she so often was in matters requiring common sense, kept him from falling back down to his natural level. Her love elevated him somehow. Made him better. Helping her and supporting her kept him out of his own head and focused.

Honestly, he’d almost started to fall for his own hype there for a while. She saw him through rose-colored glasses and so did everyone around her because they all trusted her judgement. Nora was brilliant and never lied. Everyone knew that. So when she said he was a trustworthy, responsible, strong person who was more than qualified to not only serve, but  _ lead, _ they believed her. Hell,  _ he _ almost believed her.

It was easy to pretend in Sanctuary. Easy to accept the mantle of responsible adult and quality human being when so many people just didn’t even think to question it. Even Deacon, who knew him better than anyone and saw him clearly for what he was, had backed off once Nora had made it known that she’d definitively chosen him and would not be moved.

Mac still didn’t get that, either. Her love for him was this strange, unknowable thing that shouldn’t exist but somehow did anyway. For whatever crazy reason that he was sure made zero sense. Killing that stupid radroach, he guessed. A hilariously pathetic feat any child over the age of three could have accomplished just as well.

A better man would have gently opened her eyes to the truth and pushed that kind of hero worship away, but not him. He was greedy for it. Selfish and spiteful of anyone else she looked at and loved. The moment she’d let him into her bed and her heart, his life had become a constant struggle between violent, howling jealousy and his desire to be the man she deserved.

She’d told him over and over that she loved him for a million reasons. Gave him lists miles long of all his allegedly magnificent attributes and abilities. It always reminded him of the fraud he really was, which is why he so often silenced her with kisses until she was sufficiently distracted enough to stop.

Which, of course, made him feel guilty, too. Once he got her going, she craved physical intimacy like a two-day dry junkie craved their next hit. It almost felt like he was as good as slipping a needle into her vein some days. He wouldn’t call her addiction to him a burden, per se, but it was definitely a responsibility. A weighty one.

It would be entirely too easy to influence or control her that way. He absolutely never would, ever, but she was just so  _ trusting. _ She believed in him so much he may as well be fucking Santa Claus. It all made him constantly question both his motives and his intentions. That was probably a good thing though. Kept him honest...or more honest, anyway. As honest as a man like him could be.

Lucy had been dependent on him for food, shelter, protection. Normal stuff. Stuff he’d understood. Nora was different. She needed emotional stability and support. Someone to help quiet her soul when life got to be too loud. He barely knew how to provide that for himself, but he tried, every day, for her. A part of him, a very big part, was now terrified she’d see through all that. See the real him finally.

Nora was gullible and naive about a lot of things, but children and their welfare were not among them. Her whole pre-war life had been dedicated to child welfare and advocacy. As a result, Sanctuary had some of the strictest laws regarding parenting practices he’d ever heard of. Maybe the only ones, actually.

Not providing for your child? Not making sure they went to school, did their homework, spent time playing instead of working in the fields? You got treated to a hearing before the community tribunal, which was Nora, Marcy and Cait. Two dedicated mothers who each knew the pain of losing a beloved son and a woman who’d barely survived a horrifically abusive childhood. You’d be lucky if you came out of that alive.

Hit or otherwise purposefully hurt a child? Good fucking luck. That meant immediate expulsion from the community, which was exclusively handled by their super mutant in residence. Strong’s preferred method was to simply throw offenders beyond the border unless Nora personally intervened on their behalf.

He’d even once seen him stride across the fields and pick up a father by the scruff of his neck and shake him like a ragdoll. The way the man had been doing to his son. Nora had appeared in his wake shortly thereafter and asked the idiot if he’d liked being treated that way and if not, then why would he think it was okay to do to his child?

Nora’s message was simple: The children of the Commonwealth were full citizens from birth, with the same rights and liberties as anyone else. Their protection and care was nonnegotiable. Failure to provide would not be tolerated when all parents citywide had a standing offer to walk into any Minutemen settlement and request assistance for their families at no charge.

All that should have made him feel...proud? Secure. Safe in the knowledge that his son would have the greatest possible chance at life. Instead it kind of scared him.

What if she found him wanting? What if she finally caught on to how little he’d actually parented his son in the past? What if she decided he wasn’t a fit parent and not only tossed him from her community, but her life as well?

He’d been sort of low-key practicing with Shaun, of course, but he was older. Older kids he understood. He got them. It was the little squishy, helpless ones that freaked him out.

But God, she made him want to try. Made him determined once again to grow and finally rise above the trash heap he’d sprang from. This time, when the woman of his dreams asked him to make a baby with her, he wanted to confidently say yes. Say yes and really mean it.

All of that started with this journey. He’d have nearly two months on the road back with Duncan alongside Curie, a literal baby expert who was all too happy to spout endless knowledge and advice about anything you asked. It was his big chance to finally learn how to do it right. Fatherhood 101. He could do it this time. He was almost positive.

The stakes had never been higher. He couldn’t afford to fail. Not again.

There was a dull pain in his abdomen and he made a face, setting his cola aside. He’d worried himself into a stomach ache again. That hadn’t happened in...months, at least. January. When Nora had been down so far he hadn’t been sure she’d ever be able to climb back up.

Just what he needed at the start of a six week excursion down the eastern seaboard.

He needed a distraction.

Mac was about to clean his rifle for at least the third time that day when his eyes fell on the Pipboy by his pillow. He still wasn’t used to the thing, but he couldn’t deny it was handy as hell. He picked it up and fiddled with the knobs until his map popped up. Both his and Curie’s markers blinked at him from the dot that said Bunker Hill. There was a much more interesting arrow in the upper left-hand corner. Nora. Her Pipboy was linked to theirs so long as they were still in the Commonwealth.

He zeroed in on her and clicked it over to the local map. Not home, despite it being after dark. Unusual for her. Down the way a bit at the hospital. Maybe Deacon was being especially whiny tonight, or she was doing work on Curie’s project. Mac frowned at her marker and mentally willed her to stop whatever she was up to and get to bed. It didn’t happen though. The little arrow was steadfast and he stared at it with growing irritation for a good two minutes before he gave up and clicked it off.

It’s not like he could do anything about it. The only way to communicate with her directly would be by patching into the Minutemen’s radio station and he was pretty sure she’d be at least a little annoyed with him if he broadcast to all and sundry that it was the General’s bedtime and she’d better hop to it.

Maybe a game? He’d gotten the top five scores in nearly all of her games, except Pitfall. Which he was about seventy percent sure was rigged somehow. Maybe he could get bored enough playing it that he’d want to fall asleep.

Mac still barely knew how to operate the damn thing at all, but managed to get the holotape deck to open. He stared at the holo Nora had specifically told him to listen to when he was alone and mumbled a long string of muffled swears at his own stupidity. He’d been so far up his own ass tonight, drowning in self-pity and doubt the second silence surrounded him like a chump, that he’d totally forgotten she’d even made it.

He silently berated himself and sighed heavily. He really was a fucking idiot. Nora deserved a thoughtful kind of man. The kind of man who  _ didn’t forget shit like this. _

He muttered to himself as he closed the deck and pressed play. “Come on, MacCready. Get your head in the freaking game.”

A half second of silence and then her voice, “Are we rolling, Codsworth?”

“Yes, Miss Nora.”

“Okay.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “Hey. Hi, Mac. Hello, it’s… well, it’s me. You know that already. Why did I say that? It’s um… well, you’re leaving tomorrow for Washington and… uh…” She trailed off and there was silence again.

A polite coughing sound came from the Mister Handy, “Still rolling, mum.”

“Right! Sorry. I’m sorry. I’m… oh, and I’m sorry because I asked Marcy to lie to you. There’s nothing wrong with the water pump. I think she just removed a screw somewhere? You’ll probably figure that out though. You’re always so clever, and wonderful and…”

There was another pause and a few quiet hiccups and sniffles.

“Are you alright, mum?”

“Yes, I’m just… being silly. I’m being silly and… this isn’t going well at all, is it? We might have to edit a bit.”

“I don’t know that we’ll have the time, I’m afraid. The holo can record up to an hour of audio though.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.”

“Two hours if you want the quality lowered.”

“No, let’s keep it were it’s at.”

“Yes, mum.”

Another deep breath. “Okay… back on track… what was I saying?”

“That you were sorry for asking Miss Marcy to lie to young Sir.”

“Right. Yes. I am sorry for that, Mac. I just couldn’t think of a way to get you away from the house and Deacon came up with the idea and… well, there you go.”

Mac felt both amused and slightly annoyed. Marcy had stomped into their home like she owned it and harped at him until he’d gone with her. Way across town, all the way down by Cait’s, where a water pump they only ever used for traveling caravanners was stuck.

She had  _ not, _ in fact, simply removed a screw. The entire internal piston rod had been bent all to hell and  _ mysteriously _ the water suction line had been torn loose. He didn’t even know how she’d gotten to those parts on her own. It had taken an entire hour of his time to take the damn thing apart and put it all back together again, with her incessant yapping in his ear all the while.

“Anyway… I just wanted to say that I love you, and I miss you already, somehow. You haven’t even left yet, but I do. I hope everything goes well. I hope you have a safe and happy journey. Duncan is going to be so excited to see you… and I hope you don’t mind, but I did ask Curie to document that moment with her camera. If that’s not okay, just tell her and she won’t.”

“Mum? You might want to get to it.”

“Right. Thank you. I’m sorry. I’m a bit… frazzled today, I suppose. It feels like everything is happening so fast and I’m… not. But I’m… I’m going to try really hard to focus on the positives. Everything is going to be fine. I know this. And when you get back, then we get to really start our life together. And that will be wonderful. Just have to get through this last little adventure to get our happily ever after started, right?”

“I wanted to do this for you in person before you left. I… I know you’ve wanted to hear it for a long time and it probably seems very silly to you that I can’t. Just… it’s not you. It’s never been you. It’s me and my past as a human show pony. I just… have a lot of bad memories tied to performing and… I know this is different. I know you’d never… what I mean is, I know you love me and you’d love anything that came out of my mouth so long as it did. You’re not going to sit there and critique and all that. I know that. But… for some reason, actually sitting down and doing it is still so hard. I don’t know why that is. Why can’t I just tell myself to stop being so ridiculous and listen to my own advice for once?”

“Mum…”

“Oh, shoot. I think I’m unconsciously procrastinating even now.”

“Should we stop recording?”

“No. No, I’m going to do this. I can do this.” She muttered to herself low but he still caught it, “I’ve leveled entire civilizations of raiders but I can’t do this simple stupid…” A switch flipped and there was a soft hum. “Alright. Here we go. RJ MacCready, I love you and I’m going to sing this song for you. Right now.”

Another long pause and Codsworth sighed, “Shall I count you off, Miss Nora?”

“No, I-I’ve got it.”

He heard her move around a bit and he could see it in his mind’s eye. That little wiggle she always did before pulling back her shoulders and sitting up straight at the piano. There was a suddenly a cascade of swinging notes and she began to sing.

“I never cared much for moonlit skies, I never wink back at fireflies, but now that the stars are in your eyes I'm beginning to see the light…”

He almost stopped breathing. Her voice was sweet and silvery, ringing like a bell in perfect pitch. It sounded as good as anything he’d ever heard on any radio. Mac could see why Hancock wanted her to record something. She was the angelic choir to Magnolia’s sultry siren song. It was beautiful.

“I never went in for afterglow, or candlelight on the mistletoe, but now when you turn the lamp down low, I'm beginning to see the light.”

Mac listened all the way through, then rewound the tape and listened twice over again. The song was three minutes long, but it felt shorter somehow. He felt a little ungrateful but he already wanted more. Wanted her to sing to him in bed on their rare lazy days, wanted to hear it on the wind in Sanctuary. More than anything, he wanted her to do it in person.

Someday, surely. He could be patient and wait, so long as she’d make him more tapes when he came home.

He finally let the tape continue after she’d stopped playing the last lingering notes on the piano. There was a long pause and then she huffed irritably.

“For heaven’s sake. You aren’t even here and my damn cheeks are so hot. I probably look like a tato right now.”

“You are a  _ bit _ flushed, mum.”

“Yes, thank you, Codsworth.”

“The song was lovely.”

“Mmm. Well… it’s done, anyway. Oh, right, that was a song by Ella Fitzgerald called  _ ‘I’m Beginning to See the Light’. _ I asked Deacon if he’d ever heard of it and he said no, so I’m fairly certain it will be new to you as well. Please think of it as an extremely belated birthday present. I only realized a little while ago that you must have had your twenty-third birthday just a few days after we met and I feel absolutely wretched that I didn’t know and couldn’t get you anything. I would have, if you’d told me, but… well, we weren’t even really friends yet and I don’t suppose most mercenaries announce that sort of thing to their employers.”

She sighed, “Okay. My rambling is probably about to get worse… I always talk too much when I’m nervous. You know that. I don’t know why I keep telling you things you already know. I love you. I miss you. Come home safe… goodbye, RJ.”

The tape ended and Mac wiped at his eyes.

This was it. Exactly what he needed to remind himself of what was waiting for him here.  _ Who _ was waiting for him. His girl. Perfection incarnate. A bona fide angel who, somehow, by some miracle, thought the sun shone out his ass. He’d been granted this one last chance at real happiness and he wasn’t going to miss the brass ring this time.

He may be leaving the Commonwealth as a worthless sad sack, but he was going to come back to her better, as close to the man she believed him to be as he could possibly get. No matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a gorgeous song & one of my all time favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bfW7cUtgXA
> 
> Studies show that nearly all adults who were once child soldiers have some variety of PTSD and survivor's guilt due to the trauma they've endured and the horrors they've witnessed during their formative years. Some struggle with depression and feelings of worthlessness their entire lives. Once physically removed from the violence that defined their childhoods and adolescences, their sense of self, their entire identity, can sometimes implode in on itself, leaving them lost and scared of who they might actually be. Their adult relationships are typically defined by an unhealthy drive to prove themselves worthy, an inability to understand why anyone would genuinely love them and difficulties with demonstrating affection and extending trust to their partners.
> 
> The children of Little Lamplight who were charged with keeping their community safe would have, in all likelihood, experienced similar circumstances. The terrible ramifications of a traumatic, violent childhood are far reaching and cannot be overstated.
> 
> Also, did you guys know that one in ten men experiences paternal postpartum depression and/or anxiety once they become a parent?
> 
> Cause Mac certainly doesn't.


	9. May Day

_ Early May 2289 - Sanctuary _

“Nora...baby...come on.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Pretty please? With sugar on top?”

“No.”

“Have I told you how much I love that outfit on you? You should really wear shorts more often. Show off those gams.”

“Thank you...and it’s still a no.”

Deacon huffed irritably and glared at her through his shades as she manipulated his right leg. Up, bend, out, bend, down. Over and over and over. Each movement was agony and sent fire rushing up his spine. Her little shorty-shorts and cute peasant blouse combo with the teeny-bopper ponytail was doing absolutely  _ nothing _ to distract him from it, either. That was almost a bigger injustice than all the rest of it.

“It’s been five months.”

“Physical therapy takes time.”

“This is stupid.”

“No, it isn’t. It’s working, it’s just not working as fast as you’d like. Be patient.”

“That’s easy for you to say! You’re not the one hobbling around in pain every damn day.”

Nora paused for a moment, “Sure I am.”

“What?”

Up, bend, out, bend, down. “One day, when I was sixteen, Jasper threw me in the practice ring. He didn’t mean to, but we took a jump wrong and he stumbled on landing.” Up, bend, out, bend, down. “I flipped over his head and landed on my shoulders. The momentum carried me over and I hit the ground flat on my back so hard I bounced up onto my feet before I fell back down.” Up, bend, out, bend, down. “Knocked the wind out of me, you see. I couldn’t breathe for a few minutes. Just laid there in the dirt while Jas kept chuffing at me and nudging me with his nose. He was a real sweetie.”

“Shit.” He couldn’t fathom being comfortable lying prone while a half-ton animal hovered over you like that. She must have really fucking loved horses.

“But once I could breathe again, I felt fine. Stood up, dusted myself off, climbed right back in the saddle, took the jump again and nailed it. I didn’t tell anyone what had happened because I wasn’t supposed to attempt the show jumps without my instructor there to supervise, but...you know, you get a girl around a horse and she’s bound to do something stupid eventually.” Up, bend, out, bend, down. “I figured at worse I’d have a few bruises to explain away if anyone actually noticed them. The rest of the afternoon was pretty typical. Took some aspirin, had dinner with the family like always, took a hot bath, went to bed early. The next morning though, when I woke up, I couldn’t feel my legs.”

He was almost absorbed enough in the story to ignore the pain. Almost. “So what happened?”

“Our housekeeper called an ambulance. She was the only one still home when I woke up screaming for help. The feeling came back when we were almost at the hospital and the pain was so excruciating I fainted. Woke up in a sterile room with a bunch of machines hooked up to my body. Mother was already in full martyr mode, of course.” Up, bend, out, bend, down. “Turned out, when I’d landed, I’d actually slipped two vertebrae in my back out of alignment. Then inflammation set in overnight and I had developed an infection in my spinal fluid. The aspirin had just delayed the inevitable.”

“They do a spinal tap?” He was never going to forget the icy pain of that particular procedure.

“Yes, they had to. Several times. By the time they got everything under control, the intervertebral discs, the things that pad the vertebrae of your spine, had been permanently compromised in two places. L2 and L4...they both rest very low in the bottom curve of the spine, which makes them difficult to treat. I underwent physical therapy treatments for over ten years before I finally got below a seven on the pain scale.”

“What’s a seven?”

“Unmanageable. The pain kept me from doing a lot of activities...I wasn’t even supposed to do casual horseback riding, but I kept up with my dressage anyway because I loved it. No matter how much it hurt. Never did stadium jumping or cross country again though.”

“So...all those holos from your college days where you look all happy and whatever...you were just faking it?”

“No, I was happy. By then the pain was just a fact of life. I woke up in agony every day and I went to bed barely able to move every night. That’s just how it was.” She shrugged.

“Where are you at now?”

“Most days I’m a three. It’s just mildly uncomfortable. Sometimes it goes up to five, which means it’s enough to distract me from other things. You remember that time over at Oberland when the water filter started to fall over and I grabbed it?”

She’d somehow managed to maneuver under it and then held the damn thing up all by herself until he and a few nearby settlers came rushing in to help. “Yeah.”

“Yeah, that was really stupid of me. Spiked it all the way up to an eight. That means I could barely think about anything but how much it hurt. It’s part of why I went to bed early that night. It was almost bad enough that I had to take Med-X, but it had settled back down by morning.”

“Oh.” He’d never even noticed. She’d just said she was tired and given all the work she’d put in that day, he’d believed it and never thought to ask any follow up questions. “Does it still hurt?”

“Sometimes. Having Shaun helped a bunch though. I seem to recover faster now. When you’re pregnant, it forces your spine to curve more. Somehow that made the discs want to hold onto the vertebrae again. Now I only have real pain if I do something silly like try to move around furniture or pick up more than fifty pounds.”

He scowled, “So the physical therapy  _ didn’t work. _ Having a baby did it.”

“No, that’s not --”

“I can’t have a baby, Nora!”

“Curie’s regiment  _ is _ working, Deacon. You’ve got way more range of motion and your strength will eventually return. You just need to be patient.”

“Bullshit.”

“Not bullshit.”

He glared at her and finally noticed she wasn’t looking at his face at all. In fact, it was almost like she was stubbornly refusing to altogether. His eyes narrowed as he thought it over and he took a deep breath, releasing the stranglehold he normally kept over his emotions.

A single tear rolled down his cheek.

“Please, sweetheart. It hurts so bad. I can’t live like this anymore.”

Her eyes snapped to his face and went wide. “Deacon…”

“I’m not as strong as you are. We both know that.”

“So take some Med-X, honey.”

More tears flowed, “Don’t you think I want to? But I  _ can’t. _ I might start running my mouth and… I can’t risk betraying all those lives.” He watched her movements still and had to fight to not grin in triumph. Almost there. He let his voice wobble just a bit. “I’ll take those secrets to an early grave if I have to...”

“Deacon! Don’t say that!”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

There were now tears gathering in her eyes, “How long have you felt this way?”

“Ages. Ages and ages. I didn’t want to say anything because I know you’re so busy and it’s selfish, I know, but… I just can’t anymore.”

“Oh.” She worried her lip and carefully set his leg down. “I-I honestly don’t even know if it would work. I don’t think it’s ever been used to heal nerve damage.”

“Can’t we just try? Please?” He looked away, seemingly ashamed of his weakness. “No… no, that’s… it should be saved for someone who really needs it and deserves it.”

“Oh, honey… of course you… this isn’t a question of  _ merit. _ I--”

“No, no. You’re right. You’re always right. I should just try to suck it up… just… promise me, if… if something does happen, try to not think too poorly of me after. Please? You’ve tried so hard to save me and… and if it turns out you couldn’t, that’s not on you. That’s on me.”

“Oh, Deacon…” Tears were flowing freely down her face now and she was doing that face scrunch she always did whenever she tried to not cry.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. You’ve done all anyone could for this old man.” He patted her hand and rested back against his pillow. He kept his face too still and serene. A brave mask against the relentless torment. His eyes shut against the pitiful picture she now made.

He never could resist her when she cried. He was about a half second from telling her he was just joking and begging forgiveness when her loud sniffle caused him to hesitate and peek at her through his eyelashes.

Nora had her glasses off and was angrily rubbing at her eyes. “Okay. Okay, let’s try it.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t let you --”   


“Dammit, Deacon! I am dosing you and that’s that!”

He did his best to look meek and humble, “If that’s what you think is best.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

He watched her go, first through the door and then along the street through his window. Waiting until she was halfway to her own home before he let a small twitter of laughter escape.

It felt awful manipulating her this way. It really did. But they both knew that if she’d been at the Castle when he’d first arrived, his spine broken and twisted like a pretzel, she’d have shoved her family’s miracle serum into him the second he rematerialized. Instead she’d arrived over an hour later, unresponsive and unreachable. By the time she’d come around, he’d already been poked and prodded and was suffering through his doctor’s so-called treatments. Nora had respectfully deferred to Curie’s superior medical knowledge and he’d been trapped.

He’d put up with this bullshit long enough. Curie’s feelings be damned. He needed to be back in action already. Mac had been gone a month, Hancock had just left a few days ago. His girl  _ needed _ him out of bed and fit for duty.

Deacon watched as Nora emerged from her home just a few minutes after entering, slipping a shining syringe into her pocket as she left. He knew she kept a small supply of the serum here in Sanctuary. Hidden away in what she thought was a secret safe in the floor of her laundry room. Just for emergencies.

Well. This was a ways past an emergency as far as he was concerned.

By the time she came back into his room, he’d managed to pull his long-suffering puppy dog expression back into place. He anxiously watched as she brought over iodine and clean gauze and began wiping down his arm.

“Sweetheart, are you sure --”   


“Yes. Now shut up.”

“Shutting up, boss.”

Once his arm was prepped she sat next to the bed, paused and looked up at him. “Deacon, this...has a kick to it. You’re going to feel aggressive and maybe even angry after the injection. I need you to try to remain as calm as you can, alright?”

“Yeah.” He still remembered the hopped up raiders who’d stolen a batch. He’d filled one of them with more lead than he’d ever seen a human endure, and the guy had still charged at him. Would have stabbed him right in the fucking face if Nora hadn’t been there to cave in the back of his skull with the butt of her rifle.

“I’ve personally only ever taken it once. In Far Harbor after I was initiated by the Children. Their so-called sacred spring had blistered my esophagus and given me advanced radiation poisoning, so I had no other choice. I didn’t even take a full dose and I don’t remember what happened after. Nick’s only ever just said he… he had a time keeping me under control until the initial effects wore off, so…”

“It’s okay. It’ll be okay. You know me, I’m always in control.” Even more than she’d hopefully ever know.

“Plus, I mean...my back pain eventually came back. It’s not a magic elixir or anything. It’ll probably be able to put things right, but you’ll still have to go easy for a while and not strain yourself until your body adjusts on its own.”

“Got it. Couch potato mode engaged. We’ll have an endless slumber party all summer long. Your place.”

“Yes, well, before all that, it still might become necessary for me to lock you in your room or ask that you leave Sanctuary until you’re back to being yourself. If that happens, please know that it’s nothing personal, okay?”

“Right.”

“Just remember that I’m here and that I’m helping you. Try really hard to hold onto that.” She tied off his arm just above his elbow and waited until a vein appeared in his bicep. “Here we go.”

Deacon watched her slide the tiny needle in and carefully push the plunger down. The glowing green liquid flowed easily into his body and felt like nothing. A little cool in his bloodstream, like room temperature saline solution, but other than that, nada.

He frowned down at the injection site while she bandaged it, “I don’t feel anything.”

“Give it a second.”

He was about to suggest that maybe her dear cousins had stiffed her on her cut of the last remaining serum when it finally hit his heart. He could hear a pounding in his ears and all the colors in the room were suddenly fifty percent brighter. Everything was amplified.

“Breathe, honey.”

God, her voice was great. It really was. The way it just rolled over you like an ocean wave. He could literally see it dance through the air. So naturally sweet and musical, a sparkling silver ripple that spread over him and soothed his soul better than any chem ever had. Deacon could listen to her forever. Talking, singing, whatever. He tried to tell her so, tried to get the sentiment out now while he had a handle on it; while his brain was overclocked and swifter than it had ever been and he finally had the words to explain exactly what she’d always meant to him but then an echoing pop resounded in his ears and white-hot pain lit up his nerves.

_ “Fuck!” _

“Just keep breathing.”

He pressed his lips together and desperately clung to the fast fading memory of his love for her before he tore her throat out for saying something so uselessly stupid and trite. How could she be so calm and blase about this? Didn’t she know it was ripping him apart? The pain flared into the stratosphere and he snarled.

Nora finished disposing of the spent syringe and took his hand, “It’s alright. It’s just moving things back in their proper places. Try to stay relaxed.”

A loud, crackling snap filled the room as his left femur and pelvis shattered themselves and then began to reknit, pieces flying in from wherever they’d drifted over the months and slicing through muscle and nerves on their way, which immediately, painfully healed in their wake. Over and over again.

The sound that tore from his throat didn’t even sound human, let alone like him. He knew he was squeezing her hand too hard, knew it had to be hurting her, but he couldn’t make himself let go.

He ground his teeth and tasted blood. “Hurts.”

Her voice was soft and reassuring. “I know.”

Little explosions were crawling up his spine. Each vertebrae shattering like a brittle plate into those painful pebbles he’d seen in Curie’s initial X-rays before pulling back together in their original configurations. Painful tears where dead nerves were suddenly jettisoned from their roots so new ones could grow in their place. His whole body twitched and he screamed as the sensitive tissues throughout his back reprogrammed themselves.

“You’ve got to breathe, honey.”

“Shut up!” It was in his brain now. Lighting up his brainstem and temporarily overriding most of his cognitive functions.

“Just breathe.”

His muscles strained and flexed as they shook off the atrophy that had set in. The ache in his bones faded and left nothing but rage in its place. Deacon felt powerful. Unstoppable. There was the smallest of sounds from his right. Just a tiny noise of protest. His head turned and he didn’t even recognize the beautiful woman holding his hand, gently trying to pry his fingers loose. All he knew was she belonged to him and she was trying to get away.

His angry snarl was the only warning she got before he had her pinned to the floor.

“Deacon! Stop, honey!”

“Mine!” His hands tightened and he felt immense satisfaction at the way the bones in hers flexed and gave way under his.

“Deacon, listen to me. It’s Nora. Remember? You’re my best friend in the whole wide world and I love you. I do. Please stop. You’re hurting me.”

She was still fighting. Still trying to squirm out of his grasp. He managed to get a leg between hers and pinned her hips to the floor with his own.  _ “Mine!” _ His teeth sank into her shoulder and cut off her breathless scream.

There was suddenly movement behind them. Angry, hurried footsteps and a door slamming open.

“Grandmother!”

“Help me, but don’t hurt him!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Strong arms were suddenly lifting him, tearing him away from his woman and he thrashed wildly, howling with rage.

A stern voice in his ear. Infuriatingly flat and wholly unimpressed. “Settle down or I will be forced to use more direct methods of neutralization.”

“I’ve got it! Just hold him like that!” Nora scrambled up on her feet and withdrew a second syringe from her other pocket, stabbing him in the thigh with none of the care she’d shown previously. “Sorry about this, honey.”

A slow, cold molasses feeling was suddenly flooding through his system and he tried to growl but it came out more as a quiet grunt.

“There. I think that’s done it.”

X6 felt Deacon go limp but didn’t relax his hold, just in case it was a trick. This particular human was known for his trickiness, after all. “What did you give him?”

“Something I’ve been working on for if we’re ever overrun by super mutants. I took the Pax, Mind Cloud and Lock Joint syringer ammo, cooked it down and mixed them together.”

“Clever. An all-purpose mutant tranquilizer.”

“Yes. Normally I’d never dose a human with it, but… desperate times and all that. I’m glad I thought to grab it.”

Drool hit his hand and he made a disgusted face before returning Deacon to his bed. The man was out cold and he took the opportunity to wipe the drool on his shirt. “What caused his outburst?”

“I dosed him with the Cabot serum.”

“Ah.” He watched her get him comfortable in bed and tuck his blanket around him. There were dark bruises blooming on her skin that made him feel irrationally angry. “Do you require medical assistance?”

“Hmm? Oh, no. I’ll be fine. Just a stim should do it.”

She was busy checking Deacon’s vitals and X6 knew she was liable to forget her own needs entirely, so he went to a cabinet and pulled out a Stimpak, jabbing it in her neck himself while she was otherwise occupied.

“Oh! Thank you, honey.”

“Of course, Grandmother.” There was noticeable swelling in her talented hands and he scowled. He’d always disliked it when she put herself in danger for unworthy wastelanders. If her misplaced love for Deacon had jeopardized her ability to create and play music, he’d never forgive him for the loss. “Are your hands damaged?”

“Just forty beats per minute...well, that’s probably alright.” She looked at him and seemed to be confused by his concerned expression. “I’m sorry, what? What’s wrong, honey?”

“Your hands.”

“Oh.” She held them up and frowned a bit. “They are a bit puffy, aren’t they? I think a few of the smaller bones were broken, but they’re alright now. Just a little sore.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m going to set up a monitor and then let him rest. Can you watch his door for me? Make sure he doesn’t try to leave here until he’s back to normal?”

X6 looked at her directly from over his sunglasses.  _ “Deacon _ has a  _ normal?” _

Nora clapped a hand over her mouth as she snorted quietly, no doubt trying to be polite, but quickly gave up the pretense, laughing openly at his joke while he grinned at her delight. His heart swelled with pride. She seemed to be the only human in existence who understood his humor and he loved any opportunity to make her smile, as any doting grandson would, no doubt. Their familial relationship just proved how extraordinary she was, and he was proud to come from her stock, however tangentially linked they actually were. He’d always thought of her and young Shaun as the living bridge between synths and regular humans, and he felt that made them the two most precious beings in the universe. Everyone else he’d encountered thus far he generally found superfluous.

When she finally calmed down, she had to wipe a few happy tears from her eyes. “You are so silly… but he does, actually.”

“I suppose I can watch over him.”

“Thank you. Shaun will be out of school soon, so I need to get home.” Her gaze drifted back along Deacon’s body and she gave him a quick once over. “Good God, look at his muscles… you know, he once told me he’d been brawny in his youth, but…  _ goodness.” _

X6 said nothing, just quietly raised an eyebrow at her observation.

She worked quickly, setting a heart rate monitor on his finger and carefully wrapping gauze around it to secure it while he slept. An oxygen mask was slipped over his head, just as an extra precaution. She’d never actually used this particular blend on anything that wasn’t a brahmin, so she was worried about potential side effects. Once the monitor was switched on, the comforting beep of his slow, but steady, pulse filled the room.

“If you hear it go off, there’s epinephrine in the cabinet.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I know he’s not your favorite person, but try to not let him die, okay?”

His eyes rolled a little behind his shades, “He is important to both you and Shaun, so I will do my best.”

“Thank you.” Nora kissed his cheek, “You really saved the day, honey. I appreciate it.”

X6 resisted the impulse to rub his face. He’d still wasn’t used to these little signs of affection. “It’s my job.”

She shut the door behind them and watched with a fond smile as he assumed parade rest outside of it. “And you do it  _ so _ well.”

_ Late April, 2289 - Frank’s Stop-n-Shop, just outside Philadelphia _

_ “Merci, _ Monsieur Frank! Your data is most appreciated!”

The wizened vendor grinned, “No, no, thank  _ you, _ little missy!”

Mac scowled heavily at him and ushered Curie back towards their group. He didn’t feel it was right to interfere in this experiment of hers, especially since Nora had signed off on it before they left, but over a month of keeping lecherous, lonely assholes from getting the wrong idea from the pretty scientist manhandling their wedding tackle was starting to get a little old.

“Curie, don’t you think you have enough uh...samples for the rest of the trip? You’ve got a whole cooler filled, don’t you?”

“One can never have too much data, Mac!”

He sighed and watched over her as she added her new vials to the ever-growing collection. “Right, right.”

Enrique’s new guy, Rusty, oozed on over. “Hey, Curie.”

“Hello, Monsieur Rusty.”

“You know, I’m always available if you need uh...a more in-depth sample or whatever.”

“Ah, that is so kind! But your samples were quite adequate, thank you!”

Mac smirked at his disappointed face, “Aren’t you supposed to be on lookout this shift?”

His petulant look darkened a bit, “Remind me again how you’re related to her?”

“Wife’s little sister. She’s my sister-in-law.”

“Uh-huh.” His eyes narrowed a little at the way Curie suddenly wouldn’t look up and he shuffled off. “Sure. Sister-in-law.”

She finally managed to get the samples stored and stood next to him, keeping her voice low. “I still do not understand why this ruse is necessary. Madame is not your wife, and I am not her sister.”

“Because telling people you’re the genetic granddaughter of my girlfriend just doesn’t carry the same weight.”

“Why not?”

His eye was starting to twitch. Wonderful. “It just doesn’t! And, since you apparently have the same trouble reading people as your grandma,  _ Rusty wants to have sex with you. _ Do you understand that?”

“Of course I do.”

“He wants to plow you right into the ground.”

Her nose scrunched up, “That is a most distasteful thought.”

“Exactly! So watch yourself around him!”

She shrugged, “I can easily overpower him if it comes to that. He has been trying to pursue me in a romantic way since Bunker Hill, yes? But I am not at all interested and so it is a non-issue.”

“Wait, you  _ knew?” _

“Of course! I am not some babe in the woods, as Miss Nat would say. I understand when someone is attracted to me.”

_ “What?” _

“I did observe the residents of Vault 81 for over two hundred years. I am quite well versed in human mating habits and relationships of all types.”

He felt like the top of his head was about to blow off, “Curie… are you trying to tell me I’ve been stuck up your butt this whole trip for  _ nothing? _ You know how tightly wound I’ve been trying to keep as-jerks from coming on to you?! Do you have any concept of the frustration and the --”

_ “Un moment.” _ Curie held up a hand as her eyes narrowed and she carefully studied his face, “Are you experiencing heightened aggression, Mac?”

“What?”

“Mood swings? Violent impulses? Body aches?”

“All of the above.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m just… I... ” God, now there was a muscle in his back twitching, too. He rolled his shoulders and tried to shrug off the feeling. “I’m really missing home, okay?”

“Ah.” She nodded thoughtfully. “This would explain your increased masturbation as well.”

“Curie!”

_ “Qu'est-ce que c'est?” _

Her wide-eyed expression was close enough to Nora’s confused kitten face that it made the blood rush into his face and then head south. “What a man does in private is his own business!”

“It was merely an observation.”

“Well stop observing that!”

“I am afraid I cannot. Your health is of vital importance to me.”

_ “Curie!” _

“You have increased from twice a week to four times or more in the past couple of weeks. This indicates you have developed some kind of anxiety, yes? Or perhaps an attraction to one of our travel companions?”

Their companions were Enrique and his all-male, mostly filthy and probably diseased to boot, crew and a group of ancient Preservationists they’d picked up on some weird holy pilgrimage to see Oasis. Like hell he was attracted to any of them.

“It’s gotta be anxiety. Maybe I am a little… anxious.”

“I am sorry to hear that. Is it because we are getting closer to your son or because we are having dinner with your former paramour this evening?”

He closed his eyes and tried to figure out why he’d ever thought it was a good idea to be completely honest with her about the whole Emily situation. “Cause we’re getting closer to Duncan, I guess.”

“Ah. Well...time will solve that.”

“Yeah.”

“In any case, I am quite excited to examine Mademoiselle Emily. It is so rare to find a new mother in the wastes.”

“Yup.” Shit. Now he had Nora on the brain and the whole idea of pregnancy swirled up in his head. “Why don’t you go see if Mother Fawn wants to come with us? She’s like...a midwife or whatever, right?”

“Ah! Yes! What a wonderful idea!”

“Yup.” He watched her bounce away into the flock of relatively safe pacifists before stalking away.

Frank’s Stop-N-Shop had humble beginnings as a small shack set up right on the first off-ramp into Philadelphia and had grown into a giant, confusing mishmash of a place. Everything and anything you could possibly want, at ten percent higher prices than you’d find if you actually took the time to hoof it an extra five miles into the city proper.

Enrique liked it because Frank didn’t mess around when it came to security. Their caravan was safe here under the floodlights and ticking turrets. He also gave out ‘frequent flyer’ cards. Ten punches on your card and you earned a free dinner at one of his wife’s all-you-can-eat buffets.

That was the part of Frank Mac liked. At least on this trip. The man had, somehow, managed to marry over two dozen women, who now helped run various aspects of his empire. He was far too busy and henpecked to do more than leer at Curie. It was a weight off his shoulders, especially since he was already doing all he could to keep Rusty, a guy who skeeved him right the fuck out, from getting his claws into her.

Somehow, finding out all that worry had apparently been for nothing was more annoying than the actual worrying had been.

The sun was already sinking low on the horizon, the lights of Philly glowing bright enough to almost overtake it entirely. They were due to visit with Emily in a couple of hours. About halfway between here and there. Her man, some mealymouthed little runt everybody called Whitey, had shown up at lunch and invited them for a visit.

Mac wasn’t interested, of course, but he couldn’t help but frown at the man she’d settled for. Em was, from what he remembered, a dynamic, fiery kind of gal. He couldn’t imagine her happy with a guy who stammered and blushed more than Travis Miles. To each their own though.

He entered the hotel that ran up the side of the complex. Six floors of moderately clean rooms at extravagant prices. His and Curie’s room was right on the top, with a killer view. It had cost twenty caps extra for the week, but the window alone had made it worth it since it gave him easy access to the roof.

Where he’d thought he had privacy.

But apparently not.

At least he knew for certain he did now. Curie would be busy with the woodland enthusiasts until it was time to go and no one else had a key. He let himself in their room and tossed his gear onto his bed before sliding the window a bit more open and hauling himself out of it.

Heights weren’t a problem for him so long as he didn’t look down, so he didn’t. Instead he kept his eyes forward and swung himself up on the roof, scooting back from the edge until he was more or less in the middle. Just him and the occasional radgull up here. It was calming.

He wasn’t sure if he was just getting old or what, but this trip was taking a lot more out of him than he remembered it ever taking. He actually had to set an alarm on his Pipboy to make sure he got up in time for his watch shifts, which had never been an issue before. He felt tired and achy and cranky all the time. Enrique had teased him about getting used to soft living and a soft woman until he’d threatened to punch him in the mouth. That had led to a week long sullen silence from their fearless leader that he was still trying to make up for.

Some days he felt like his options were jerk it or take someone’s head off. He was pressed to the limit doing his level best to keep a lid on his temper. You’d think people would appreciate that, but no.

Mac laid back and stared up at the darkening sky. Soon the blue would give way to orange and pink and purple and then they’d be off. Having dinner with a woman who’s newborn could have easily been his and her namby-pamby brahmin rancher of a husband.

He scowled at his own irritation. It wasn’t that he wanted Emily, or wanted a family with her. Of course not. He had something a million times better at home. It was just that he was really starting to wish he’d left Nora in a family way before he’d left.

He knew he hadn’t, of course. Curie’s birth control was amazing and seemingly foolproof. Nora dutifully showed up on the first of every month to get an injection of whatever it was, and they were free to fuck as much as they pleased without having to worry about an accidental pregnancy.

That had all been great (really,  _ really _ great, actually) but for the past six weeks all he’d heard about was babies this and babies that. Curie’s information on developing children was limitless, and once they’d picked up Fawn and her friends, her ceaseless chattering had only gotten worse.

He appreciated the knowledge they were unknowingly gifting him, of course. That had been the whole point of bringing her along and suggesting to Enrique that they escort the Preservationists at a discounted rate. He now knew the proper way to soothe a fussy baby, the various wasteland plants that could be used to make a soothing poultice for diaper rash, basic milestones a child developing properly should hit, and how children absorbed the traits of the people around them, which is why it was so important to model good behavior. All very useful and filed away for a later date.

It’s just every time they talked about stuff, his mind put Nora wherever the word ‘mother’ appeared and ‘their baby’ wherever ‘offspring’ occured.

It didn’t help that the day prior to leaving Sanctuary, he’d stumbled across the holo that held footage of her own baby shower. It was the only holo he’d hesitated to watch, but Deacon had insisted. Mac had always imagined a pregnant Nora would be almost too gorgeous to look directly at, but the reality was so much more. He’d stared slack-jawed at her waddling around like a graceful beachball, drinking punch and laughing as her friends and family adorned her with endless ribbons on her head like she was some kind of modern fertility goddess. Something about how each broken ribbon meant another hour of labor or something? He didn’t really get that part.

She’d glowed. The whole time, it was like trying to stare directly at the sun. Plus, every part of her he considered his favorite was swollen beyond belief. He was pretty sure her breasts were actually larger than her head in that holo. It was amazing.

And the quiet way she’d smile to herself when the spotlight was off. The gentle hand that would rest on her belly and how soft her eyes would get whenever she clearly felt Shaun kick...that just did shit to him. Made him want to see that in person in a big way.

They’d done the right thing though. He was mostly sure. The sensible thing. It would probably be hard enough for Duncan to adjust to living in Sanctuary, with a new big brother and a step-mother and all that. No matter how much they tried to cushion him from it, it was still a huge change for him. Waiting until he met and liked Nora and Shaun before getting married was probably the right move. Waiting further to give him a new little sibling was  _ definitely _ the right move.

It’s just not what he’d wanted. Selfish, but there it was. He wanted to lay in their soft bed back in Sanctuary, rest his hand on her sweet belly and feel their baby moving inside. He’d wanted that for a long time. Months. Since before he even had Duncan’s cure in his hand.

Shit. That probably made him a terrible father, didn’t it? His son had been laying in a sickbed hundreds of miles away and he’d been fantasizing about…

Mac frowned to himself. He needed to focus up a little. He’d come up here with one thing on his mind and ended up mired in that same old depressive bullshit again.

He quickly undid his pants and slid a hand into his underwear, eyes closing to better focus on the image in his mind. Nora on her knees like that last night, head thrown back as she hurtled towards release. Only this time she was fully pregnant. Almost so big he couldn’t even see her hand moving between her legs. Ah, but those gorgeous, milk-heavy breasts swaying along with her movements made up for it.

His cock was at full mast before he even knew what had happened and he groaned as he squeezed the first drops of precum from its tip. If Nora were here, she’d be begging for a taste. Staring up at him with those focused, emerald eyes like he was the only man in the world. Probably biting her lip a little, doing that impatient wiggle she always did when he held off granting her permission. God, he loved watching her squirm for him.

His words were soft as he muttered them. “Yeah, baby. I know what you want, sweetheart. Daddy’ll give it to you.”

He let his mind wander a little. Tried to imagine how lush and hot her pussy would be while pregnant. Sex with Lucy when she’d been carrying Duncan had been off the charts delicious. He wondered if all women experienced that sweet swelling in their nether regions or if he’d just been crazy lucky. If it happened every time, he didn’t know how he’d be able to ever stop fucking Nora once she was like that.

Mac’s hand clenched around his shaft, trying to replicate the tight feel he still remembered so well. Another groan slipped out and he tugged his pants further down, fully exposing himself. The head of his cock was hot and swollen, almost purple it was so engorged. His index finger found that sensitive little spot right underneath, the one Nora loved teasing with her tongue, and pressed light circles against it.

“Ah, fuck. Just like that, kitten.”

She was riding him now in his mind’s eye. Skin glowing as she ground against him, those breathy little sighs and moans that drove him crazy filled his ears and he arched up into his hand, pumping his hips just like he would if she were really there. There always came that point, where the feeling would overwhelm her and he’d have to take over. Every fucking time. He loved it. Loved sinking his fingers into those hips and holding her in place while he fucked her senseless, until she couldn’t even talk.

His other hand cupped over the end of his cock, pressing down and putting pressure directly on top the leaking tip. Felt nowhere near as good as when he was buried balls deep in her, when he’d bang into her cervix over and over while she cried out and begged him for more. Always more. God, she was greedy.

“That’s right. That’s right, take it.” He grunted as his balls began to pull closer to his body. “Oh, fuck...fuck, gonna fill that hot little pussy.” Mac gasped and just barely manged to roll onto his side as the first eruption gushed from his cock. “Mmm, shit. Ah,  _ shit. _ Fuck.” He kept his eyes tightly closed and kept his fist moving along his shaft until he was sure he’d milked himself dry.

He lay there panting in the soft sunset light, wishing to God he was hundreds of miles further north and wondering what Nora was doing right in that moment. If she was tending to her garden or cooking up something delicious or just sitting around thinking about him.

Please let her still be thinking about him.

Mac finally managed to get his eyes opened and stared at the mess he’d made of Frank’s roof. Yet another decorative splash to go with all the others on the hot metal. It was probably rude to just leave it all up here, but he couldn’t bring himself to care really. Fuck it. At least he wasn’t doing it on the mattresses, which is more than he could say for most of the assholes who came through here.

He waited until he was reasonably sure he wouldn’t be dizzy and sat up slowly. He’d brought a water along for the ride and cracked it open, watching the last edges of the sun finally disappear beyond the horizon.

Nora had once told him that it took eight full minutes for the sun’s light to reach the earth. That if the sun suddenly vanished, we wouldn’t even know until those eight minutes had passed and then the gravitational effects would take even longer to catch up. That was wild to him. Unbelievable like something out of a sci fi holo. The whole idea that there had one been eggheads in the world smart enough to figure shit out like that and then teach others about it astounded him. If he didn’t know about all the bullshit pre-war life had entailed, he’d almost wish he’d been born back then.

Of course, if he had been born back then, his chances of landing a woman like Nora were probably slim to none. She’d been born into circles both high and impenetrable. Full of old money and endless rules and respectable sorts. It was pretty lucky, he guessed, that he’d been born now, when he could get a girl’s panties wet with bluster and combat skills instead of having to rely on who his father had been or how much was in his bank account.

Not that Nora had ever been the sort to care about that kind of thing, of course. Her family had, though, and to get to her back then you’d have to first get through them, so… yeah. A no-name orphan from a rough background who’d grown up to be a hired gun  _ probably _ wouldn’t have received an invite to dine with the Cabots two hundred years ago.

Now though? Now he was practically family. Times had certainly changed and he was grateful the Cabots had changed with them.

By the time Mac rejoined the others, they were getting ready to head out to Emily’s homestead. Curie gave him a positively suspicious look and he returned it with his blandest possible smile, which was apparently the wrong thing to do as she immediately began whispering into her Pipboy.

Oh, goody. Another entry to the travel log. Joy.

He silently took her extra gear and moved back to his usual position, just ten feet back, rifle at the ready even in the relatively safe area surrounding Frank’s. Never could be too careful. He’d liked to have it be twenty feet, but that always seemed to encourage Rusty to swoop in and try to weasel his way into her good graces, so ten would have to do. Even if he now knew the jerk didn’t have a chance with her, it was still annoying and almost painful to watch.

Enrique gave him a rather brusque nod, “Alright, let’s get goin’. I’ve been promised a  _ muy delicioso _ meal at the end of this little pleasure tour and I don’t intend to be late.”

Even at the modified pace they’d been keeping since the ladies of the Preserve had joined them, they still made it in under an hour. Plenty of time, really.

Whitey slunk out of the front door when Enrique announced their arrival with a sharp trill and waved at the group.

“There he is!  _ ¡Blanco!” _   


“It’s Whitey, sir.”

Curie piped up,  _ “Blanco _ is Spanish for white.”

“Oh.”

Mac watched the slack-jawed idiot stare at Curie for a minute and internally sighed. She might not have Nora’s magnetism, but she certainly wasn’t hurting for admirers this trip.

“Hey. I’m Mac. This is Curie. She’s the doctor Enrique told you about.”

_ “Oh! _ Oh, right! Right! Wow!” He immediately grabbed her hand and started shaking it. “I’m just so happy you’re here! My wife had a hard time, you know, but knowing she’ll be seen to by a proper doc is just… wow. Wow.”

Curie gently extracted her hand from his grasp and smiled, “Ah, yes. And where is Mademoiselle Emily?”

“Oh, she’s inside with Trev.” He scratched his head, “You sure do talk funny, doc.”

“How kind of you to notice! I think you talk funny as well! Now, show me to the new mother and infant,  _ s'il vous plaît.” _

“Right. It’s right this way.” He held the door for her and frowned a bit as Mac followed. “Uh…”

“Where she goes, I go.”

Curie glanced back at them, “Mac is a father as well as a ah...former acquaintance of Mademoiselle Emily. I can assure you he is the utmost gentleman.”

“Yeah.” He grinned at Whitey and it was all teeth. “I’m a gentleman. Can’t you tell?”

“Uh...okay. Yeah. She’s on through there.” He gestured vaguely towards the back of the house. “I’ll just finish up with dinner.”

“Alright.” Mac watched him go and shook his head. He was definitely never going to understand this particular pairing.

Curie had already toddled along into the back room and he quickly followed before she gave poor Em a heart attack. She was standing just inside the door and he nearly bowled her over.

“Curie, what the heck?”

“Monsieur MacCready, there is a problem.”

He blinked at the stiff formality in her voice. She hadn’t called him that in ages. Mac leaned over a little and stared over her shoulder. Em was in the middle of a bed, surrounded by blankets. She looked gaunt and pale, her eyes and hair both dull. Her stare was blank and if she hadn’t blinked slowly at them, he’d have sworn she was dead.

The infant in her arms didn’t look much better. Emaciated and tiny. The only sign of life there was the sharp rise and fall of his chest.

“Oh,  _ shit.” _

“We must get to work immediately.”

“Yeah.”

He set down her gear and took off outside, barking for Mother Fawn to join them immediately. Whitey had the sense to look ashamed of himself and Mac pointed at him.

“You! How long has she been like this?”

“Since the birthing.”

“And you didn’t think to send for someone?”

“Didn’t have the caps.”

Shit. Of course they didn’t. Most people didn’t. Maybe he really had gotten too spoiled living in the Commonwealth. His eyes landed on the side of brahmin that was slowly being cooked over a spit.

“You still should’ve said something at lunch! We would’ve been here sooner! Enrique, we’re gonna need a broth.”

_ “Si.” _ He immediately turned to the concerned flock of Preservationists. “Sister Poppy? Can you help?”

The tiniest supplicant, one hundred if she were a day and somehow still clinging to life, nodded. “Of course, my child.” She slowly made her way into the house behind Mac and headed for the kitchen like she’d lived there her whole life.

Mac bolted back into the sweltering back room and immediately opened the only window. “It’s balls hot.” The sharply disapproving look Mother Fawn shot him had him cursing internally. “Sorry.”

“He tried to sweat the fever out. Not a terrible idea, but with the babe in the room…”

Curie sniffed dismissively, “He is lucky he did not kill his son.”

He nervously moved closer to the bed and watched her check him over, “Think he’ll make it?”

“He is severely dehydrated and malnourished. There is nothing wrong with him that mother’s milk would not cure, but she is not producing. No doubt because of the illness.”

His eyes went to Emily’s face and he tried to give her a reassuring smile, but her expression remained blank and impassive. It was like they weren’t even there to her. “Okay… what do we do?”

She frowned, “A wet nurse would be best, but I highly doubt there are any nearby. Newborns need iron, too, or they will become anemic.”

Fawn was carefully wiping Em’s face off and spoke up, “Watered down brahmin milk can work in a pinch. So long as it’s boiled.”

Curie nodded, “Yes. Yes, that might work and I have some powdered supplements in my ingredients case. Mac? Could you please boil a mixture of two parts milk to one part purified water and then pour it into a sterilized container...perhaps a Nuka bottle? I can fashion a nipple of sorts from my supplies.”

“Yeah. Sure, I’m on it. Whatever you need.” He grabbed a bottle from his own pack and headed back into the kitchen, giving Poppy a nod of acknowledgement as he moved a pot onto the stove. He needed to get the bottle clean first, but he probably needed canned water for that, right? Right.

He stuck his head out the front door, “Hey! I need everybody’s water. Right now.”

There were a few grumbles, as water on the road was as precious as...well, water on the road, but eventually he had an armful of cans at his disposal.

Once the bottle was cleaned, he dumped the pot and poured in a bottle of brahmin milk from the fridge and half a can of water.

Poppy watched him and patiently chopped vegetables to go in her own pot. “Ah. No milk.”

“Yup.”

“It happens.”

“Yeah.”

He’d never personally seen it happen, but sure. The girls who gave birth in Lamplight never had problems producing, and Lucy certainly hadn’t, but sure. Apparently in some conditions, even the most basic of human functions could and did fail. That wasn’t terrifying at all. Nah. This whole situation was totally not exacerbating all the fears and anxiety he had regarding parenthood in general. No, of course not.

Nobody had told him how long to boil it for. He settled on a minute. That’s how long you had to boil gross water to get all the dangerous shit out. Mac counted slow just in case and removed the pot from the burner at the sixty second mark.

Actually getting the milk into the bottle took more patience and care than he’d known he was capable of, but he finally got it three fourths of the way full. More than enough for a hungry infant. Hopefully.

By the time he came back into the room, Curie had both hands inside of Emily and he nearly dropped the bottle trying to turn around. “What’s uh… what are we doing now? Here? What?”

“She is in septic shock. Her placenta was not properly delivered after birth and has caused continuous bleeding. I believe it also allowed bacteria to enter her bloodstream.”

Mac chanced a look over his shoulder and immediately wished he hadn’t. There was an ocean of blood between Em’s legs. He felt sick. “And that’s bad, right? It’s bad. I feel like that’s probably bad. Yup.”

Curie glanced back at him and frowned, “You are babbling. Stop.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Is that the milk for the infant?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Alright.” She went to gesture with her hand, but apparently thought better of it seeing his face pale at the sight of the blood covering it. Instead she simply nodded towards a table, “I have already measured out the extra ingredients. Please add them to the milk and gently swirl to combine.”

“Okay.” He could do that, right? Easy. Like adding powdered mentats to your coffee or whatever. No big deal. And as long as he stared at the bottle and nothing else, he didn’t have to see what Curie was up to. A win-win. His hands were shaking a little when he dumped the powder in but he pretended like that was intentional. Just wanted to make sure every little bit got in there was all. He was completely fine with this entire situation. It took a few minutes for the last little grainy bits to completely dissolve and he was almost sad when they did.

“Okay, now what?”

“There is a nipple there. Simply slip it over the mouth of the bottle.” Her head was down between Em’s knees and her eyes never left what she was doing.

Mac finally noticed Em’s own eyes were closed and he paused, “Hey, is she supposed to be out like that?”

_ “Oui. _ It is best if she is unconscious for this next part.”   


He watched her maneuver what looked to be fancy bolt tongs onto the bed and immediately looked away again. “Oh, great. That’s… that’s great.”

Fawn chuckled, “I thought big, tough mercenaries faced down death every day.”

“Yeah, well, if I could shoot it better, I damn well would.”

She smiled and waved him over to a rocking chair in the corner. “Here, son. Sit down before you fall down.”

That was a good idea. He was feeling a little lightheaded. Especially now that there was an awful, rotted meat scent filling the air that went pretty poorly with the coppery smell that seemingly saturated the walls. “Yeah, okay. Okay.” Mac all but collapsed into the chair and focused on taking deep, careful breaths through his mouth when Fawn turned back to him and slid the baby into his arms.

“There you go.”

Panic spiked through him and he froze, terrified that if he moved even an inch, he’d drop or crush or somehow otherwise hurt this fragile little life. “Wh-what?”

“I’ll show you how to do it.” She pried the bottle from his hand and pushed him back further into the chair. “Relax. You won’t be going anywhere for a while.”

“Wh-what?”

She gently teased the baby’s thin, dry lips with the bottle’s nipple. “See? You have to teach him how. Go nice and gentle. Slowly. Not too much milk at first, no matter how hungry he is. It’ll overwhelm his little system.”

Suddenly the bottle was in his own hand and he was staring up at her in absolute terror. “I can’t do this.”

“Of course you can.” She nudged the neck of the bottle, back and forth. “See? Just like that. I have to help the doctor, so you have to help the baby.”

“O-okay.”

Curie made an agreeable sort of noise, “Mac will be fine. He is a father himself.”

Fawn smiled at that, “Oh?”

“His son lives in the Capitol Wasteland and we are going there to fetch him.”

“Ah.” She patted him on the shoulder, “Then you’re already an expert.”

“No. No, I’m not.” He stared at the baby in his arms but it was Duncan he was seeing. Those chubby cheeks and those dark, trusting eyes staring up at him. Depending on him when he didn’t have a fucking clue. “M-my wife did… did everything, and then she died, and I… I didn’t know what to do. I  _ don’t _ know what to do.  _ I can’t do this.” _

Fawn tweaked his ear gently and he snapped out of his stupor. She smiled at his startled expression and nodded towards the baby. “Could have fooled me.”

Mac’s eyes went back to the baby and it was Em’s little Trev again. His lips had sealed hungrily around the nipple and he was suddenly nursing for all he was worth.

“Hey...hey, he’s doing it! Look at that! He’s actually doing it!”

Fawn gave him one last encouraging pat and shuffled off to assist Curie. “Remember, slow and steady.”

“Right. Right, I’ve got it.” And he did. He did have it.

Finally.


	10. Curie's Field Journal

** _Researcher: Curie Cabot_ **

** _Beginning Date: March 31st, 2289_ **

** _File Name: CVRIE00102249_ **

** _Transcription Name: TBD_ **

** _Starting Location: Bunker Hill Monument, Boston, aka The Commonwealth_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: 8_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 5 _ **

** _New Specimens: 2_ **

Mac did an excellent job escorting us from Sanctuary to the settlement known as Bunker Hill. His company was quite pleasant, if overly communicative. Madame had warned me ahead of time that Mac is a talkative companion to travel with, but that I must focus hard and listen as there is often wisdom in his most inane observations. Thus far, I was have found this to be true.

I was able to procure partial samples from both Tony and Joe Salvaldi. Their blood samples (TS005fd2e and JS00019984 respectively) have been cataloged, preserved and stored. The containment vessel M. Sturges designed seems to be in working order.

We met our guide, M. Enrique (no last name provided), who seems to be both capable and engaging.

  * Began Experiment #0001GH1 with subject’s full and informed consent. All vitals green.  
  


** _Recording Date: April 2nd, 2289_ **

** _Location: I-93S/Pilgrim’s Highway Interchange, aka Grim’s Way_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: 12_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 5_ **

** _New Specimens: 0_ **

We have now begun traveling along a stretch of road called Grim’s Way, though it it quite pleasant thus far. Observed two deathclaws engaged in a mating dance of some sort. The males appear to bellow and shout at each other, not unlike gorillas. This is v strange to me as they are descended from Jackson’s Chameleons (horned), who did not display such behavior pre-war.

Mac actually knew this fact, which was most surprising! He said his wife read about it in a magazine called the Wasteland Survival Guide. I have seen copies of this publication myself, but did not realize it contained scientific information. I have decided to acquire a full set, if possible, for the hospital library.

Mac also said that once we arrive in the Capitol Wasteland, he will introduce me to Moira Brown, who is the author! This is most exciting! He said she is a scientist who works out of Megaton. I am eager to meet another scientifically minded person! Especially one who has gone to such trouble to help her fellow man, as I wish to.

There are an astonishing number of mirelurks along this road. Possibly because there are no settlements to cull their numbers? Their only true threats are the deathclaws, who do not seem to have the numbers necessary to overrun them. M. Enrique has been quite happy, as mirelurk is his favorite meat.

Mac opted to take down a small deathclaw instead. He does not eat fish or shellfish. V strange for someone who grew up so close to the ocean. An allergy, perhaps? I must remember to do proper testing upon our return to Sanctuary.

  
  


** _Recording Date: April 5th, 2289_ **

** _Location: Providence_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: 5_ **

** _# Person’s Talked to: 5_ **

** _New Specimens: 2_ **

M. Enrique’s crew consists of himself and four other men. In order of tenure: MM. Vice, Valentine (no known relation to Det. Valentine), Denton and King. All are very nice, though M. King (Russell) is experiencing some kind of infatuation. Given Mac’s observation that I resemble Madame, this is no surprise, though it does occasionally interfere with my research. I was unable to collect as many specimens as I believe were possible due to his and Mac’s territorial posturing. V frustrating.

Providence is a small settlement. No larger than Quincy. People here are all quite typical for wastelanders. Their mispronunciation of Connecticut (Connie-ket) is most charming.

  * Experiment #0001GH1 continues. Vitals still green, though subject routinely complains of leg pain. Perhaps more tetraiodothyronine is required. It is too early to see if the somatreopleopin has had any effect. Subject is known for being prone to emotional outbursts, which make observation of side effects difficult.

  
  


** _Recording Date: April 8th, 2289_ **

** _Location: I-95_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: 0_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 0_ **

** _New Specimens: 0_ **

It has rained every day since my last entry. Very dreary. Each passing day with no sun seems to further sullen the mood of my companions. It is quite possible that wastelanders all suffer from a vitamin D deficiency and are therefore more prone to malaise in poor weather conditions.

More observation is required.

The marshland is quite beautiful, but very wet and very muddy. Even without the rain, our passage would be difficult, I think. There are only mirelurks here. Mac attempted to ration his food to suboptimal portions. I did not allow this and gave him my share of our leftover deathclaw.

I do not mind the taste of mirelurk, though the texture leaves something to be desired.

  
  


** _Recording Date: April 12th, 2289_ **

** _Location: The Preserve_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: 31_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 15_ **

** _New Specimens: 12_ **

We have reached the Preserve! It is truly beautiful! So much green! So many animals! The radstag here are among some of the healthiest and least mutated I have ever seen. I have collected many plant samples for Dr. Li and her colleagues to study once we return to the Commonwealth.

I have taken many, many photos here for Madame, and also a small holo video of our crew and the inventive, industrious society the people here have built.

The Preservationists are kind, if a bit odd. Their love of nature is commendable, but their worship of it seems extreme to me. Every decision made is left ‘to the trees’, who decide these things for them? I do not understand. How can trees make decisions? They are trees.

Their society only confirms what I have observed in Far Harbor. Old-world names and traditions have experienced a slow cultural drift since the bombs fell two hundred years ago. This all seems in accordance to what history tells us of the turbulent era following the decline and fall of the Roman empire.

It gives me hope that Western civilization has not lost the wheel this time.

We have taken on more traveling companions. Mother Fawn, a healer and midwife of sorts, and her followers: Mme Poppy, Lavender, Rose and Aspen. Mlle Clover and Autumn. It is very nice to have female company after so many days traveling with only men! I had not realized how much I missed it.

Mother Fawn is quite knowledgeable about herb medicine and has said she will teach me all she knows. In exchange, I have come up with a medication for her arthritis that should do the trick better than her radscorpion venom based liniment.

Mac seems happy to have the Preservations with us as well. He even negotiated on their behalf with M. Enrique and convinced our leader to give them a discount on escort services. He is a true gentleman which is so very rare to see these days. I can see why Madame chose him.

  
  


** _Recording Date: April 17th, 2289_ **

** _Location: (New) Haven, CT_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: 28_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 15_ **

** _New Specimens: 7_ **

Haven is a very odd settlement. In fact, it is really two settlements. On the outside perimeter, you have the actual town of Haven. It is prosperous and I have seen more children here than anywhere else along our journey thus far. The people are proud but, for the most part, kind and fair.

At the heart of Haven, is what they simply call ‘The Sity.’ Where once Yale University stood has become its own tightly held territory. A completely self-sustaining society that does not interact with its sister city at all. Thus, everything I learned about it is second-hand from Haven residents.

According to them, the town is full of witches and wizards. Nonsense, of course. At night, strange lights can be seen above the city, which they take as evidence of ‘magic’. Of course, it’s simply advanced technology, which is not at all surprising given the people there are all descendants of highly educated people. The only Sity dweller the people of Haven ever interact with at all is the leader, who is called Handsome Dan. I was informed that this is in fact a title rather than a proper name. No one has seen his face as he wears a large, decorative mask.

Upon further investigation, I have come to the conclusion that it is, in fact, a bulldog mask. Pre-war, Yale University’s mascot was a bulldog named Handsome Dan. I do not know if they have re-appropriated it to this new purpose, or if perhaps they are simply playing a joke on the residents of Haven. It is hard to say.

I do wish Madame were here. While she herself attended Boston College, her father and several brothers all attended Yale. I am curious to see if she presented this information, would she be allowed inside?

Just think of the libraries we’d have access to if she did!

Note to self: Ask Madame about a possible excursion to Haven in the future.

  * Experiment #0001GH1 has yielded its first positive results! Growth has undeniably accelerated. Height has increased from 172.72 cm to 177.8 cm! This is remarkable for less than three weeks! I had not dared hope it would be this successful. Supplements have been increased accordingly as subject still complains of leg pain and now also joint pain. These things cannot be helped, but too much growth too quickly could have long-term ill effects. All measures must be taken to ensure this does not happen.
  * Subject’s testosterone also seems to be rising along with the growth, however. There must be a way to counterbalance it while still encouraging development.
  * Muscle mass has also increased. Unable to take proper measurements due to subject’s reluctance to undress for examination.  
  


** _Recording Date: April 20th, 2289_ **

** _Location: Border of CT and NY_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: 0_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 0_ **

** _New Specimens: 0_ **

We have reached the border to New York. How I wish we could see New York City! Mac says that even venturing close enough to see the Apple, as everyone calls it, is too dangerous. Super mutants have overrun the entire metropolis and there are the troubling rumors of the mysterious Enclave having their headquarters there.

There is still a sign welcoming you to the state, along with the old motto “New York welcomes you to the Empire State!”. Mother Fawn was kind enough to take a photo of both Mac and myself standing in front of it for Madame.

We will continue south until we reach a small settlement called White Plains and then head inland. The Preservationists are most nervous about this part of the journey, but could not say why.

  
  


** _Recording Date: April 21st, 2289_ **

** _Location: White Plains_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: Unknown_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 0_ **

** _New Specimens: 0_ **

I can see now why the Preservations were so nervous. The city of White Plains has, in the last two hundred years, become an exclusionary, isolationist society. It would not surprise me if they were, in fact, a full-fledged cult. Certainly they exhibit the signs of one.

The people are silent. Utterly silent. Their faces never change as they watch you go by. They are painted head to toe in white mud and many wear terrifying masks as well, not unlike the Asaro men of Papua New Guinea. Though, from what I can recall, the Asaro weren’t nearly as reclusive.

The walls of their settlement are decorated with what looks to be taxidermied wasteland creatures and humans alike, all painted with the same white mud. It actually is strangely beautiful if you can forget the death beneath it.

I wished to capture their appearance with my camera, but Mac would not let me. Instead we all kept our heads down as we walked past their fortifications. I will attempt to draw them from memory, but I worry I will not remember details.

M. Enrique has promised to assist as he ‘has an eye for faces’.

** _Recording Date: April 22nd, 2289_ **

** _Location: Border of NY and NJ, Hudson River Valley, Hudson Ferry_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: more than 50_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 21_ **

** _New Specimens: 11_ **

We have arrived at the border to New Jersey! Everything is quite expensive here! Mac says it always is. Even his remarkable bargaining skills cannot bring the price of a can of water below fifty caps! M. Enrique calls it highway robbery.

At Mother Fawn’s suggestion, I set up a traveling clinic of sorts and we were able to trade medical care for many of our needed supplies. I was quite happy to be helpful to the group, and also was able to procure several samples this way, but I am quite worn out! Mac was very kind and had me take a nap in the cart afterward.

It was very restorative to sleep in the warm afternoon sun knowing he was watching over me. Surely there is no better_ grand-père _ in the world. I must think of a way to thank him for his unending kindness and patience with me on this trip.

  
  


** _Recording Date: April 23rd, 2289_ **

** _Location: Woodbridge, NJ_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: 19_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 10_ **

** _New Specimens: 6_ **

We had not planned on staying in Woodbridge. Mac calls it a ‘den of thieves’. However, Sister Poppy’s rheumatism has been bothering her and Mother Fawn insisted we stop and rest. Rooms were quite expensive, but the Preservationists paid for everyone, which was very kind.

King’s infatuation continues. I repeatedly had to gently decline his invitations until Mac intervened and scolded him most severely. Afterword, he seemed upset with me as well and said he needed ‘alone time’, which, given previous observations, I must assume meant he required an orgasm to calm his nerves. His masturbation schedule has increased in the past two weeks. I am not sure why yet. It is possible that, given his age and the usual frequency of his sexual encounters with Madame, that he is having difficulty adjusting to this time apart.

I will endeavor to give him more space so that he may stimulate himself more freely and frequently if this is what is required for maintaining his continuing good humor.

  
  


** _Recording Date: April 27th, 2289_ **

** _Location: Frank’s Stop-n-Shop, 3.1 miles outside Philadelphia_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: 29_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 10_ **

** _New Specimens: 4_ **

M. Enrique has been talking about M. Frank for days it seems and we are finally here! I had imagined a small shopping complex, but it is truly a settlement unto itself. We have rented rooms to give Selena and Madonna, the pack brahmins, time to rest.

M. Frank is a very charismatic figure. He is also a polygamist with 25 wives. I was unsure of this arrangement, but the wives I have been able to interview have all had nothing but nice things to say about both him and their ‘sister wives’. Most peculiar. He also boasts over 60 children, and so his contribution to my study should be significant. Certainly his biology has found a way to overcome the ambient radiation. His DNA could be the key to unlocking the ability to boost human fertility rates worldwide. I am very excited to get back home to my thermal cycler!

While we are here, we are going to visit with Mlle Emily and her new born child. According to M. Enrique, she should have delivered almost a month ago. I wish we could have been here sooner, but still, a one month old is practically still a newborn. I am excited for the examination.

Mlle Emily is also the former paramour of Mac. He informed me of this almost a week ago after M. Denton had told an off-color joke that her baby might be his. According to Mac, they engaged in heavy stimulation of each other’s genitals, but no penetration ever occurred, so of course he cannot be the father.

This conversation has reminded me that Madame said Mac was an expert in human sexuality as well as survival and interpersonal relationships. I have started a list of questions I would like to ask him once we have proper downtime. We play cards with each other every night, which may afford the perfect opportunity.

Around lunchtime, Mlle Emily’s husband, M. Whitey, arrived at M. Frank’s and invited us to dinner! Most kind! We had planned on visiting tomorrow, but now I will have tonight and tomorrow for a more thorough examination! Very fortuitous!

Mac has discovered that I am aware of his increased masturbation. He was not pleased at my observations and asked that I stop. Of course, I cannot as I am tasked with seeing to his health and well-being. Madame warned he could be stubborn at times. I will soldier on and continue with my duties regardless.

  
  


** _Recording Date: April 27th, 2289_ **

** _Location: M. Whitey’s farm, 1.4 miles outside Philadelphia_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: 3_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 3_ **

** _New Specimens: 0_ **

_Mon dieu!_

When we arrived at Mlle Emily’s home, we were immediately thrown into an emergency situation. Mlle Emily and her infant son were both in extreme distress and near death. Thanks to the combined efforts of myself, Mac, Mother Fawn and Mme Poppy, we were able to provide proper care.

M. Whitey seemed most ashamed and upset, especially after Mac scolded him for not better providing for his family. He claims he did not have the caps necessary to secure proper medical services. This is unacceptable and it makes me both proud of what we are accomplishing back home, but also sad for those who live outside the Commonwealth.

M. Whitey was also less than helpful when it came to figuring out exactly how long Mlle Emily and her son have been in such a state, but he was quite sure that the birth occurred only two weeks ago and that Mlle Emily was able to ingest at least some fluids until approx five days ago. M. Enrique had told Mac that Mlle Emily was due at the end of March. If these facts are both true, that means she was overdue by nearly two full weeks.

It is quite possible, given the state of her pelvic floor, that the infant was simply too large to be delivered properly. It is likely that, had Mlle Emily had proper treatment, either delivery would have been via Cesarean or perhaps she would have been induced at the proper time.

She was given IV fluids and a full dose of Med-X once the situation was fully assessed. I was able to remove the necrotic tissue from her body. Mostly placenta, though unfortunately the infection was too great in some areas of her uterus to save. Antibiotics have been administered and once the infection clears, we can begin a Stimpak regiment to help repair the damage.

I feel confident in saying that this infant will be Mlle Emily’s only chance at biological motherhood.

The infant, Trevor, is feeding well. Approx two hours after his first bottle, he experienced his first wet diaper that we have seen. I am concerned that he was not yet able to pass his meconium however, and have asked that we stay at least until then. M. Enrique agreed and took the rest of his crew back to M. Frank’s.

The Preservations have decided to forego their pilgrimage to Oasis and stay here to make sure Mlle Emily and Trevor make a full recovery. Truly they are a selfless people. Especially as Mme Poppy will not likely live through another winter.

Their steadfast devotion to life is quite admirable.

  
  


** _Recording Date: May 1st, 2289_ **

** _Location: M. Whitey’s farm, 1.4 miles outside Philadelphia_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: unchanged_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: unchanged_ **

** _New Specimens: unchanged_ **

Mlle Emily regained consciousness only two days after we arrived. Her infection finally cleared shortly after and we began the Stimpaks. The Preservationists have been quite busy cleaning the house, including burning the soiled bed sheets and blankets we first found her wrapped in, which was probably for the best.

Mother Fawn and Mac have been teaching M. Whitey how to properly take care of his son. Mac experienced a small panic attack when we first arrived and claimed to not know how to be a father, but that seems to have simply been a moment of self-delusion no doubt brought on by the distressing situation. Having lost his own wife and the mother of his son, it is no wonder that seeing Mlle Emily in such a state, and little Trevor so near death, was enough to cause his anxiety to spike.

He is, in fact, wonderful with the baby, and very patient with M. Whitey now that the danger has passed. He also dotes on Mlle Emily as a new mother and has been extraordinarily attentive to her every need.

Trevor has already gained enough weight that he is at the bottom end of acceptable percentiles for his age, and Mlle Emily was able to walk unassisted to the bathroom and back today. We will be leaving them tomorrow, as we cannot delay our journey further.

I will be sad to see them go, and also the Preservationists, but I am happy to know we have done all we can to ensure their survival.

Mac also gave Mlle Emily a map of the Commonwealth’s settlements and a letter of introduction, should they decide to make the trip north and resettle. The letter guarantees their acceptance into the community of their choosing and also that Mac will be informed of their arrival.

Traveling so soon with such a fragile baby would, of course, be foolhardy, but perhaps next spring we shall see them again. I hope so.

  
  


** _Recording Date: May 7th, 2289_ **

** _Location: Baltimore_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: over 50_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 23_ **

** _New Specimens: 19_ **

Baltimore reminds me a great deal of home. So many people and so many independent settlements! Mac was able to procure a small box of Old Bay seasoning for Madame, which was very thoughtful.

While we were here, I was able to complete one of my mission objectives. Drs. Carrington and Li, as well as myself, were in need of synthetic diamonds for several projects. The laser I use to monitor the pollution and radiation in Sanctuary has been in dire need of fine-tuning for quite some time. I had agreed to go to the Hopkins Hospital here and retrieve their supply of industrial-grade diamonds.

Mac escorted me through the city and I saw many, many ferals. Far more than in Boston. Perhaps because this city was slightly more dense before the war? We were able to avoid detection and the hospital itself was long abandoned. In and out, as Mac says. Very simple.

While there, we had an interesting conversation that leads me to believe Mac is planning on asking Madame to marry him soon! This is most exciting! Children born from such a union would be not only attractive, but no doubt very intelligent and charming. Also it would set such a good example for other couples across the Commonwealth! He asked me to not say anything to anyone, and so I will not, but I am too excited to keep it entirely to myself, so it will go in here.

After this conversation, we detoured to a Fallon’s, but whatever Mac was looking for was not there. He said we will try a different place once we are in the Capitol Wasteland, but I still am not sure what we were even looking for to begin with.

  
  


** _Recording Date: May 10th, 2289_ **

** _Location: Canterbury Commons, Capitol Wasteland_ **

** _Persons Observed in Location: 17_ **

** _# Persons Talked to: 17_ **

** _New Specimens: 5_ **

We are here!!! We have made it! Today we sadly said goodbye to M. Enrique and his crew, but a very happy hello to the Capitol Wasteland!

Already this place is most interesting. There is a DJ named ‘Three Dog’ who is very, very enthusiastic and well-informed. Canterbury Commons is a medium sized trade hub on the north eastern side of DC. I believe this is where Mlle Cruz came from perhaps? I do not know. The children here all speak of ‘the Mechanist’ though, and she is the only person who goes by that name to my knowledge.

Mac says his farm is by a little place called Andale that was once overrun with cannibals, but now has normal people living there. I have never met a cannibal that I know of. It is a shame they were all killed before I could interview them.

He says that there are two children who grew up with the cannibals who are now adults themselves and still live there and promised I could speak with them if I wished. I also had to promise to behave myself and be gentle with them as they are quite skittish. I cannot imagine why. Childhood trauma, perhaps?

Mac wished to leave right away, but M. Enrique insisted we stay for one last dinner and ‘fiesta’. There is no guarantee they will be the caravan we travel with on our return home, so a little celebration is probably in order.

I am very excited! Now that we are here, my main missions for both Madame and the Railroad can begin!

  * Experiment #0001GH1 is still yielding amazing results! I adjusted for the increased testosterone and the growth has tapered off, though it is still impressive. Subject now stands at 180.34 cm and continues to rise. Most impressive! I cannot wait to see the full results! Tapering of supplemental hormones has begun.


	11. The Choices We Make

Sanctuary, Commonwealth

May 8th, 2289

Deacon jogged along over the bridge back into Sanctuary. Nora insisted he keep his training light and easy, but the moment he was out of sight, he’d hauled ass to Concord to check in with an operative as fast as his legs would permit.

Which, it turned out, was pretty fucking fast.

It had taken a full twenty-four hours for her super mutant sedative to wear off, and he was actually glad it had taken that long. The changes in his body were phenomenal but he couldn’t imagine building back so much muscle mass so quickly had felt  _ good. _ Plus, there was that whole nasty business with his little outburst after she’d administered her family’s serum. He didn’t even remember what had happened, but the bruises on her skin told the story.

She hadn’t even wanted to show him, wanted instead to spare his feelings like she always did. He’d had to make her. Nora might not blame him for his violent behavior, but he sure as shit did. Seeing those ugly marks on her body, knowing he’d put them there, had reminded him a little too much of the man he’d once been. Deacon had felt awful after, no matter how much she reassured him it was fine. He’d shifted into immediate damage control mode and been the bestest boy and patient in the whole wide world.

For one whole week. Which was about all he’d ever been good for anyway.

Thanks to a runner meeting him at the old museum, he now had a proper job for them, too. Something right up both their alleys to a degree that she wouldn’t possibly be able to say no. The excitement he felt at getting out in the field again made him want to run and chase his tail. Maybe play some Combat Tag with his favorite girl. Race Dogmeat to the river, or help Shaun finally master double-dutch.

But only naughty patients disobeyed their nurse’s orders, so he simply kept it to a jog.

Deacon headed for her new house, savoring the smell of freshly cut lumber and new paint for a moment after entering. Nora’s old home had been cute, modern, kitschy. This new one was built with more a Frank Lloyd Wright feel to it. Slick, natural and perfect for its surroundings.

It had gone up quickly, but that was probably to be expected with a super mutant and the number of robots, not to mention eager settlers, all pitching in. Everyone was excited to get it complete and ready for Mac’s return. Duncan’s room, safely situated on the second floor next to Shaun’s, had been completed first at Nora’s insistence. Shaun, and therefore X6, now spent most of their time collecting treasures from all over the settlement to decorate it with.

Deacon’s favorite part was all the stained glass on the bottom floor. Massive, broken sheets of the stuff in greens and blues had been discovered at a nearby factory and they’d been soldered together into something that was both practical and artistic. With the ballistic weave embedded between the layers and the extra lead coating the outside, they were practically rad and damage proof, which would be handy in a home with two little boys in it.

There was another piece meant meant to go into the roof itself. A skylight, she’d called it, to help keep the house cheery and bright, even with all the added security and extra thick walls. Full kitchen, fireplace, two full baths, and a laundry area capable of keeping up with even Mac’s level of dirty. A master suite on the main floor that he was, frankly, crazy jealous of. Bedroom, office, bathroom, walk-in closets and, the best part: a secret hatch to an underground panic room. Just in case.

It had been his suggestion and, despite Cait’s rolling eyes and Codsworth’s protestations that surely it was excessive, Nora had immediately added it anyway. She knew no one took the safety of her family more seriously than he did, and he appreciated her acknowledgement of that fact.

After all, they were practically his family, too.

But, for now, the skylight sat empty and he stood in the spotlight the sun provided, squinting into the darkness.

“Hey, boss-lady? Where you at?”

“Here!”

Her voice came from the second floor patio workshop and he practically skipped up the steps, only slowing to a more sedate, respectable pace once he reached the top. She was busy tightening screws on the ladder that would allow Mac to have roof access, but glanced at him over her shoulder and smiled anyway.

“Good walk?”

“Yeah, it was great. I feel amazing.”

“Oh, good. Hey, while you’re here, can you hand me another screw? I need to hold this piece in place still.”

“Sure.” He pulled one of the screws from the box at her feet and frowned as he rubbed his thumb across the threads. “Why does it… what’s the white stuff on it?”

“Soap.”

“Uh...I mean, cleanliness is next to godliness and all, but soaping your screws might be taking it a bit far there, bun-bun.”

Nora rolled her eyes at him and took the screw from his hand. “That’s not why they’re soaped.”

“Oh.”

“This wood is old and prone to splitting. So if you soap your screws, they cause less friction, and therefore less splitting.” The screw slid easily into the wood and she was finally able to stop holding the piece in place. “See? Smooth like butter.”

“Huh. I don’t think I ever asked you, but where’d you learn about this stuff, anyway?”

“One of my brothers had a construction company. He was kinda the black sheep of the family.”

“Hmm.”

“So was your runner there?”

“Oh! Oh, yeah.” He grinned, mostly to himself. “Yeah, she was definitely there.”

“And?” She picked up another screw and began reinforcing the ladder.

“She uh...well…”

“What, honey?”

“Let’s just say she really appreciates your family’s serum. Made it possible to give her a proper howdy doody.” The way she’d come apart screaming his name in the echoing space had been immensely satisfying. He hadn’t been able to fuck like that since his twenties.

Nora frowned severely at him, “Deacon! You aren’t supposed to tell people you took the serum! Or even that there  _ is _ a serum to begin with!”

“No. No, no, no.” He laughed and thought about properly explaining himself, but this was Nora and he was quite happy being just another sexless platonic friend that she didn’t think about in ‘that way’, so he did not. “I was just... able to give her the highest of fives! She was jazzed. Super jazzed, even.” If the way she’d eagerly gotten on her knees to get round two started was any indication anyway.

“Oh...oh, well, that’s…” She smiled apologetically, “Sorry. I should’ve realized. You do give good high fives.”

“Fuck yeah, I do!” He held up his hand, “High five, boss!”

“High five!” She slapped his hand and laughed. “Are you happy your retirement is officially over?”

Hell yeah, he was happy. He’d be a lot happier once word spread that other parts of him were back in the saddle again as well, so to speak, but yeah. “Sure. It’ll be good to be useful again.”

“You’re always useful, silly.”

“You know you’re the only person who believes that, right?”

“Pssh.”

Deacon hopped up on her worktable and swung his legs back and forth, “So, guess what.”

“What?”

“You remember how we wiped out all the Gunners back in November?”

“Of course.”

“Well… turns out, we  _ didn’t _ wipe out  _ all  _ the Gunners after all.”

She froze for a moment and then turned focused, angry eyes on him. “Explain.”

“Our runner says they’re having trouble getting through one of the western routes. Down there by Sunshine Tidings.”

“There’s been no reports of Gunners near there.”

“Well, it’s a little west of there… kind of a lot west actually… and south…” He raised an eyebrow at her and her eyes widened.

“Oh, God. No. Surely not.”

“Yup. Got an entire platoon of Gunners swarming all over the old Nuka World transit center. You remember that place, right? Didn’t you do some meet-and-greet there back in the day?”

She sighed, “Yes.”

“Yeah, so...I mean, maybe it’s just a coincidence, but there’s also been talk of raiders taking over Nuka World proper, which is also bad news for us.”

“Why? Let them have the damn place. Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll burn it to the ground.”

“Well, see, Nuka World for a long time has kind of been a happening little trade hub. Sort of like our own Bunker Hill.”

Her shoulders drooped. “Crap. You were running synths through there, weren’t you?”

“Correcto mundo.”

“And now it’s possible it’s compromised.”

“Yup. There’s a thing on the radio that’s started to play, I guess. The old park advertisement, encouraging people to go there. Used to be completely abandoned, most people didn’t even know about the train or anything.”

“Shoot.”

“Yeah, so we might have a raider alliance in the works on top of everything else.”

“Because my Minutemen failed to exterminate them all.”

“Well, I wasn’t gonna point fingers or anything but…”

“The old advertisement... what frequency?”

“I dunno, somewhere towards the low end of the band.”

“That’s probably Nuka Family Radio then… is it Bottle?”

“What?”

Nora pulled out her Pipboy from the toolbox and fiddled with the radio dial through the static until chipper music began to play. Her eyes closed and she groaned, “No… not this again.”

A voice, dopey and obnoxious, suddenly spoke. “Hiya, kids! Remember, Nuka-World is only open for a few more weeks in October! Come down and see me and Cappy one last time before buckling down for the winter. Don't forget to bring your empty bottle of Nuka-Cola to get 15 dollars off at the gate! So hop aboard the Nuka-Express and come and see the whole Nuka family while you still can!”

A second, more responsible sounding voice continued the message. “The Nuka-Express is accessible through the Nuka-World Transit Center. Parking fees will apply. Prices subject to change due to end of season. Nuka-World, Nuka-Express, and the Nuka-Cola characters are all registered trademarks of the Nuka-Cola Corporation.”

Deacon snorted, “What was that?”

“Bottle and Cappy are the Nuka World mascots. That’s the voice of Bottle.”

“He sounds like a goober. People really liked that kinda shit back then?”

“Kids did.”

“Hmm.”

She tapped her fingers along her screen for a moment, staring at the map. “Okay… okay, well, I guess I can take Hancock and we’ll --”

“Hey, wait, no. No, you will not take Hancock. This is a  _ Railroad _ mission. Agents only!”

“Deacon, just because you’re up and walking around does not mean that you are fully healed yet. We talked about this.”

“I am fully healed.” Fully healed, operational and batting a thousand thus far, thank you.

“You are not!”

“I’m pretty sure I am.”

“Why are you so stubborn about this? I thought you wanted to take a break from field work anyway. Train up new intel people and everything.”

That was before his four month prison sentence in a body that didn’t do what he told it to do. “One last hurrah. I promise… and it’s just a few Gunners. We can take them out blindfolded by this point, right?”

“I guess… and we could just disable the train until I send some boys out to investigate what’s going on in Nuka World.”

“Yeah! Yeah, that’s brilliant! Gosh. I wish I’d thought of that.”

“And I would hate for Hancock to finally put two and two together.”

Oh, like he hadn’t over a year ago. Deacon knew all about his weird little closet filled with Nora’s likeness as the Nuka Cadet. Fucking pervert. “M’hmm. Probably be a little embarrassing.”

She made a face, “Doing that stupid beauty pagent really was the worst mistake of my life.”

Thousands of horny teenage boys across the wastes would definitely disagree with that statement, but he nodded and gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “We all make mistakes in life, sweetheart.”

“It’s not that far. We could get there by tonight if we left at lunch.”

Holy shit, it was really happening. “Uh… yeah! Yeah, totally!”

“I guess Codsworth could look after Shaun for a few days… oh, but I hate to leave him with just a robot. I mean, Codsworth is family, of course, but… that feels a little too… Institute to me, maybe? That’s how he was originally… I mean, it was Gen-2s and all, but still.”

Deacon smiled. A rare, genuine one. He loved the way Nora put Shaun first in all things, no matter what. He wished his own mother had been so attentive and caring. Probably would’ve saved the world a mess of trouble.

“What about Cait?”

“She’s not really big on kids… but she does like Shaun. Maybe her and X6 together would…”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s perfect! What a dream team of babysitters.” He wondered if he could convince Codsworth to film what was no doubt going to be a hilarious shitstorm of astronomical proportions.

“We’ll probably be back before the weekend, so she won’t have to worry about that.”

“Right. Bing bam boom, we’re done. Just like the old days.”

Nora laughed, “Yeah, just like the old days. Except now I can actually shoot straight and I’m not giving you fits by crying all over you all the time.”

He shrugged, “Hey, you got there. I knew you would.” Not to mention, keeping her alive and on her feet had given his life renewed purpose and hope that he could finally make up for the biggest mistake he’d ever made.

“Alright, well… I guess we should pack. I’ll make arrangements for Shaun and then pop over to the school to let him know we’ll be gone a few days.”

“Probably not even that, boss. It’ll be a cakewalk, you’ll see.”

  
  


Twelve hours later and they were approaching the abandoned transit center. It was quiet and still and, thankfully, they didn’t encounter anything worse than a bloodbug swarm. Fuckers were going to be terrible this year, he could already tell. Winter had been far too mild.

They probably would’ve been there already if Nora hadn’t kept insisting on doing spot checks on his well-being every thirty minutes or so.

He stood patiently and let her take his pulse in the moonlight. Again. At least, he thought he was, anyway.

“Stop jiggling.”

“I’m not!”

“You’re tappin’ your foot, honey.” She pointed at the offending appendage and he glared down at it until it stopped. “Thank you.”

“This is totally unnecessary. I’m fine.”

Nora sighed and her hand slid from his neck to over his heart. “I know. I know you are.”

“Uh…”

Usually her touching him did nothing. Okay, maybe in the beginning it had done a few things, but he’d willed those urges back until he couldn’t even see them in the rearview mirror. Now though there was a warmth spreading through his chest, trying to make its way further south. He furrowed his brow and concentrated on keeping the blood above his waist.

“I’m sorry, I’m just… you’re so important to me and almost losing you was… it was awful and scary and… but that’s my problem. You’re clearly fit for duty. I’m sorry I’m being such a nervous Nellie about it.”

What? What was she saying? Something about being nervous and that she was sorry? “It’s okay.” He covered her hand with his and smiled at her. “It’s really okay. Don’t worry about it.”

She took her glasses off and wiped at her eyes with the heel of her hand, “Sorry, I just… I need a minute. And here I acted like I wasn’t going to be crying on you again.” She laughed a little, bashful and cute in the moonlight and he laughed along with her.

It required effort.

“Sure.”

Shit. Fucking moonlight. Barely even a crescent was visible, but it was just enough to gild her face and turn the world soft and romantic. You’d think with the stimulating exercise he’d taken this morning, that this kinda shit would be the furthest thing from his mind, but nope. It was like he’d opened a bag of chips. He’d had one (more like two and a half if you wanted to get technical about it), but who ever just stopped at one?

Was this going to be his life now? Had that serum just propelled him right back into late adolescence? Great. That was just fucking great.

Keep it together. Keep it cool. Keep it professional. 

“Uh...Professor, can I ask you a question about your family’s serum real quick?”

“Of course.”

“I know it resets your body or whatever, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay, but like I thought it only brought you back to whatever age you were when you first took a dose.”

“What? No. That’s not how it works. That’s how Jack thought it worked at first, but it’s not.”

“But your cousins are always the same age.”

“No, you’ve only just ever seen them at that physical age. It actually resets you back to the moment where you entered your current stage in your lifecycle.”

“So…”

“So for Cousin Mina, that means she’s reset to her earliest post-menopausal self. For Emmy, it’s right when she turned twenty-one and stopped growing. For Jack, I’d say he’s around thirty when he uses it? It’s hard to say. Early middle age, maybe.”

“Okay, but when I took it…”

“Well, how old are you? Really?”

“I’m...forty-seven.” Somehow. God, he was fucking old. How’d that happen anyway?

“Oh. Well, then it reset you back like Jack. You’re back to being whatever you were in your early thirties.”

He definitely didn’t remember having this hard of a time keeping it in his pants in his thirties. “Okay.”

“Why? Is something wrong?” She slipped her glasses back on and peered up at him. They did nothing but magnify her doe eyes and he coughed and took a careful step back.

“Nope. Nope, not at all. All golden over here, boss. Just curious.”

“Oh, good.” A smile lit up her face and easily outshone the paltry moonbeams still wrecking havoc with his sense of morality. She suddenly moved forward and engulfed him in a hug. “I love you, honey. I really do. I feel like I just don’t say that enough.”

Somewhere, God or one of his asshole angels was laughing at him. He just knew it. His arms went around her anyway, and he rubbed her back in what he hoped was a platonic way. Trying to make up for the extremely non-platonic way he’d noticed the bra she had on did not have padding. Probably made sense on a warm night when you were going into battle and all, and no doubt the ballistic weave in her clothes would keep her every bit as safe as proper armor would, but he was really starting to miss the days when she wore actual chest plates and things.

“Oh!” She stepped back and frowned down at his pants. “Are you wearing your cross-draw holster?”

“Uh…”   


“It’s pokey.”

Oh, he was going to hell. For sure. One thousand percent. First class ticket straight on down and those dark, trusting eyes of hers staring at his crotch wasn’t helping that feeling.

He knew she wasn’t actually some naive little princess or whatever. She knew damn good and well what a cock was by now. But goddamn, the way she just didn’t acknowledge people being sexual beings  _ at all _ unless she was personally having sex with the person was a little insulting when you got right down to it. As far as she was concerned, he was anatomically impaired as a Gen-2.

Anybody else, man or woman, he’d have them pinned up against a rock by now. Let them get an up close and personal feel for the gun he was packing. There was a part of him that wondered what would really happen if he did it now. If she’d think he was joking and laugh it off or if she’d freeze and he’d have to make the joke or if maybe she’d even let him --

“Do you think Mac would like one of those? He has that pistol and all. It would probably be safer there than on his hip, don’t you think?”

Ah, there it was. The razor blade of cold, hard facts cutting through the fog of his temporary stupidity. Nora was his best friend and best friend  _ only, _ by his choice. For better or worse, she was with MacCready and clearly in it for the long haul. He had no one to blame there but himself. If he’d actually been interested, he’d had a whole year to make a move and he never did, because she deserved better than he could ever give her. This was clearly some kind of fleeting hormonal thing.

Reality settled back around them and chased the last lingering traces of passion from his system. He snapped right back into being her Deacon. Best friend, lovable scalawag and ultimate sidekick.

“I doubt it. He’s been drawing from the hip for a long time. Trying to break that kind of muscle memory would be a pain in the ass.”

“Oh. Oh, right. Hmm.” She frowned thoughtfully, “I wanna get him something. Have a present waiting for when he gets home, you know? But I dunno what yet.”

“Aren’t you building him a whole house?” And won’t there be a bed in it? Shit, gorgeous, slap a gift tag on yourself and call it a day.

“The house is for everybody. I want something just for him.”

He rolled his eyes behind his shades and resumed their walk, “Giant pink bow and a bottle of whiskey. Best night of his life.”

She looked completely lost, “What?”

“Nevermind.”

“I don’t think that’ll work. He doesn’t even drink whiskey anymore.”

_ “Nevermind, _ sweetheart.”

A few rocks were kicked as she thought, “Maybe I can find him a new comic book…”

Deacon sighed heavily. Kid was going to owe him big for this one. “You ever hear of the mutfruit trick?”

“No, what’s that?”

“Ask Cait. She’ll tell you all about it and then you’ll have the perfect present for Mac.”

“Oh...so, is it a drink?”

“No.”

“A jelly or something?”

He snorted, “No.”

“Pie?”

He finally lost the battle and laughed out right, “No. Stop asking me. Just be patient and ask Cait when we get back.”

“Why can’t you tell me?”

Cause then a certain dick might mistakenly think a demonstration was in order. “Just… trust me. You wanna ask Cait on this one. She’s the expert.” The only safe one, anyway.

“Okay.” There was a large parking structure at the front of the transit center and they paused at the corner. She whispered, “I can hear voices.”

He whispered back, “Yeah, me, too. We should really get that checked out.”

Nora frowned at him a moment and he grinned so she’d know it was a joke, then she finally got it and grinned back. “Ah… I get it. Hearing voices. That’s funny.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re so silly.”

“I know.” He frowned and focused hard, “They’re definitely Gunners. What are they saying?”

A woman in an army helmet seemed to be barking orders at the rest of the group. “No one investigates that signal until this place is secure. If I see anyone violate protocol and enter that transit station before we're set, I'll have your head. Now pick up the pace. I want to be able to report back to Cypress ASAP!”

“Who’s Cypress?”

“Dunno.”

“So they’re not actually going to Nuka World?”

“My reports say there’s Gunners already  _ in _ Nuka World.”

“Then I guess they’re mad somebody turned on the radio station?”

“Likely so.”

“Who do you think did that?”

“No clue. Could be anybody. Maybe we’ll get real lucky and it’s just some idiot who likes flipping switches.” They’d never lucked out like that before, but there was a first time for everything.

“Stealth kills?”

“Yup. I’ll head into the parking garage and snipe who I can. You cover the ground. Stop by the trashcan and wait for my signal before you go further.”

“Right.”

Deacon watched her slip off into the night and then made his way inside. A few Gunners had gone ahead of him and it was nothing to catch up and take them down nice and quiet. He could hear the first few alarmed shouts from outside and chuckled as he jogged up the ramp to the third floor. They could yell all they wanted, but they’d never find Nora. In the dark with a StealthBoy she might as well be a ghost.

Hell, there were times where even he couldn’t find her. A real student surpassing the master kinda deal. Not that he’d ever tell her that, but it had happened more than once.

Of course, that was when he still felt as old as he actually was.

Satisfied that the building was clear, he peeked over the side and laughed softly to himself at the panic below. Idiots playing soldier scrambling around like mad trying to figure out why their comrades just kept fucking dying. Boo hoo. Poor little raiders.

He took down three of his own targets before he realized the other parking garage had a sniper of its own and took him out, too. His rifle felt comforting to have in his hands again, even if his callouses had all but disintegrated. Probably going to go home with blisters like some baby barely out of diapers.

The movement below finally came to a halt, save for one cup by the trashcan that rolled on its own, a little too fast for the wind. Nora letting him know she’d gotten there safe. All that was left was their commander and a few of her lackeys by the steps. He whistled once, a chickadee call since that was her favorite, and they moved together. He put a bullet in the leader’s head at the same time Nora dropped the two guards with Deliverer. They both waited thirty seconds for any other combatants to come forward and she shimmered into sight when none showed, waving at him.

“Hey! You see all this trash!”

“Yeah!”

“It’s ridiculous! Completely against company policy to have trashcans overflowing like this!”

He laughed, “You ought to write a letter!”

“I just might!”

Deacon couldn’t stop grinning. He’d missed this. Missed their happy times and silly banter. Things were changing, or had changed, and he was going to have to eventually get with it, but not tonight. Tonight, they were Deacon and the Professor again. Kicking ass and having a damn good time doing it.

Nora waited at the steps of the monorail station for him, jiggling about a little. He watched her bouncing on her heels and wished she’d stop. It was one thing for her to fidget when she had layers of leather and steel over her. Right now though, she was in jeans and a tank top with an old open army shirt layered on top of that. Didn’t exactly leave much to his already overheated imagination. That bullet pendant Mac had given her may as well have been an arrow pointing downward saying ‘Hey! Check these tits out!’.

He played it cool and smirked at her as he walked up, “Aw, are we excited, bun-bun? Gonna ride the teacups like a big girl?”

That stopped the bouncing. She looked up at the big neon Nuka World sign and scowled. “Hardly.”

They walked up the steps together and he chuckled at her obvious irritation.

“Come on, you don’t want Daddy to win you a teddy bear?”

Nora froze mid-stride for just a second and tripped up a stair. In the harsh white neon, her flush was unmistakable. A slow, wide grin came over his face. So it was like that between them, huh? Interesting.

“I… why on earth would I need a teddy bear?”

He followed her down the broken escalator and held the door open for her, smiling at her still pink face, as innocent as a lamb. “I dunno… probably be pretty nice to cuddle up with and think about Daddy on lonely nights, wouldn’t it?”

She kept her eyes down and squeezed past him. “Hmm.”

Deacon followed and held onto this feeling. The annoying big brother role had gotten him through more than a few moments of temptation in their friendship. So long as he could keep it centered in his mind, he’d be alright.

The transit center looked remarkably like a subway station, except dirtier. Red branded cups and straws littered the ground everywhere and somehow, even after two hundred years, the floor was sticky. Their shoes made a gross crackling sound as they walked and he made a face.

“Floor’s gross.”

“It’s all the soda.”

He rolled his eyes. Well, duh, of course it was. “I’m leaving this place the worst review when I get home.”

“They have a customer service number just for that.” She headed down a short flight of stairs and abruptly stopped halfway down. “Somebody’s here.”

He looked past her at the scruffy looking man sitting on the ground, clutching his side. Something about this felt… off. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he put her hand on Deliverer’s holster and nudged her forward anyway.  _ Stay wary and let’s see how this plays out. _

She nodded in silent acknowledgement and moved towards the man. “Excuse me, sir? Are you alright?”

He turned pitiful brown eyes on her and coughed weakly, “They’re gonna die…”

A year ago, that would have been enough to have her kneeling by his side, shoving Stimpaks into him and telling him everything would be okay. Promising to make everything better no matter what. Now she just shifted her stance a little and cautiously glanced around the abandoned station.

He was so fucking proud of her.

Was this what having a daughter was like? No, then that made the inappropriate things swimming in his head tonight even more wrong. Super-hot step daughter? He cringed as soon as he thought of it. Still no. Yikes. Super-hot step sister, maybe? Was that --

“What happened to you?”

“Raiders, that’s what… those bastards have my family.” His hand tightened on his injured side. “You… you’ve gotta help. Please.”

“Are you okay?”

“Hell, I’ve seen better days, but its my family I’m really worried about. Once those raiders realize I’m gone…I don’t even wanna think about what they’ll do to them. God, you’ve gotta help me.”

“It’ll be alright. Just tell me what happened.”

He winced, “They fooled us. Big time. My family and I ran into some traders a while back... told us they knew a safe settlement... at Nuka-World. But when we got there… found out they were Raiders the whole time, just stringing us along. I managed to escape, but my wife and son are still back there. I wanted to get some help and go back for them, but didn't count on taking a bullet.”

Ah, crap. He’d brought up a family. She was softening. He could tell. Deacon cleared his throat, “How exactly did you manage to escape?”

“There’s not very many of them. Four maybe? Five? And with the amount of Jet they were doing to celebrate, it was easy. I picked the lock on the cage they had me in, but one of them came barreling in before I was able to free my wife and son.” He seemed nervous now that Deacon had eyes on and went back to staring up at Nora. “My wife, Lisa, told me to run. So I did. Now I just got to hope it’s not too late to go back and save them.”

She shrugged her pack off and opened it, “Here, let me help you first. I have a stimpak.”

“No! There’s no time for that!”

Nora frowned in clear confusion and glanced at Deacon to confirm that this situation was a little strange. He nodded and she turned back to the man. “No really. I have enough. Take it.”

“No, no...I’ll be fine. Save it for my wife and kid, for Lisa and Cody.”

“You’re not thinking straight.” Her hand reached out and carefully brushed the bruising near his temple. “Maybe you hit your head…”

The man stared at her like a slack-jawed idiot for a moment and then sighed heavily, standing up. “Damn it.”

Nora stepped back as Deacon stepped forward in a clear warning for the asshole to stay put. “Talk. Fast.”

He put his hands up for a moment in surrender and then dropped them back at his sides, clearly irritated. “Look, you got me. I ain’t injured, okay? I just can’t do this anymore. The raiders back at Nuka World put me up to this.”

Deacon glanced at Nora’s face and hated the frustration and disillusionment there. She never learned. No matter how many times some asshole tricked her like this, she never, ever learned. He growled at the raider’s stooge, “I hope they paid you well enough for a nice burial.”

“Whoa, man, come on. I’m bein’ on the level with you now. I swear. Look, they lure people in and they kill ‘em for fun, and I’m done doing their dirty work. Let ‘em find me and do what they want. Fuck it.”

Nora spoke up, “Why do you help them?”

“Besides not wanting to die, I’m not the only one stuck under their thumb. If I don’t pull through, their lives are at stake just like mine.” His eyes roved over her face and then he stared down at his shoes, “I figured, what’s some stranger’s life compared to those of people I know and care about.”

He rolled his eyes, “Yup, sounds like typical raiders to me.”

“You don’t get it! These raiders are different. They make the Commonwealth’s raiders look like a bunch of kids.”

“Let me help you.” Both men turned and stared at her. “We’ll go face them. You don’t have to die.”

“Are...are you serious?” The stranger turned to him, “Is she serious?”

“She usually is.”

“Well...just be warned, this ain’t no walk in the park.” He dug out a piece of paper from his jeans pocket and handed it over. “Here. Take this. It’s the password to the monorail control terminal. The fastest way to get to Nuka World is to take the Nuka Express, but I shut it down to help sell my story.”

He groaned, “Of course you did.”

“Hey, it makes it more believable if I say I’m trying to keep the raiders at bay! Look, just find the control terminal in the office to power it back up. It’s not hard… and once you’re on your way, be careful.”

“Okay...hey, what’s your name anyway?”

“Oh, it’s… Harvey, ma’am.”

She nodded, “It’s nice to meet you, Harvey. I’m Nora.”

He nodded back once and watched her walk away before leaning towards Deacon. “Am I crazy, or is she a dead-ringer for the --”

“You’re crazy. Don’t worry about it. Happens to the best of us.” He jogged after her, deeper into the station. “So, where’s this office, boss?”

“I think what he really meant was the ticket booth. There’s several terminals and things there.”

“Hmm.” He followed her through the Employees Only door and waited until she’d typed in the password to speak again. “You know, you’re not wrong for wanting to believe him, right?”

She sighed and shook her head, “I just… you’d think I’d learn at some point.”

He shrugged, “Maybe it’s better that you don’t.” It wouldn’t do to have two cynical assholes running around the wastes, now would it? Besides, between him and Mac, she’d always be safe from bozos running scams.

“Weren’t you the one who told me I couldn’t trust everyone?”

“Was that me? I can’t recall.” There had been a time when he’d thought for sure her blind faith in humanity would kill them all, but now he wasn’t so sure.

“Huh.”

“What?”

“There’s two options. Power and auxiliary power.”

“Hit the power button.”

“What if that overloads the system?”

“So hit auxiliary then.”

“Okay.” She typed in the command and immediately a pleasant chime sounded through the PA system. “Oh, no…”

A dulcet female voice rang through the station, _“Attention! In the event of an emergency, remain calm and obey all safety and shelter instructions provided by Nuka World employees. Thank you.”_

“Hey, it’s not so --”

_ “Parents! If you’re looking for a refreshing way to make it through the day, try a Nuka Cola Dark! Same great Cola taste, with an alcohol twist!” _

He laughed, “Yeah! Get wasted, Mom and Dad! Cause it’s not like you drove here or anything!”

“It’s just on a big loop. It’ll just keep playing over and over and --”

_ “Nuka World’s great Halloween Spectacular will begin next week! Reserve your tickets for this nighttime event at the main box office!” _

“Boo, we missed it! Can you believe it!”

“I’m switching it off now.”

“That’s a copy, boss.”

“Trying the main power.” She typed in a new command and a hum filled the station as a door on the monorail slid open.

Deacon stared at it for a minute and then had a rare moment of accountability. “Hey… you know, if you want to go back home instead of --”   


“Harvey said there’s more innocent people there being held by the raiders. As the Minutemen general, I can’t walk away.”

“Alright… might wanna shoot a note to Preston on the way or something.”

“I’ll send it to Codsworth. He can broadcast the message out to more people. It still shouldn’t take that long, right? I mean, the park isn’t that big.”

“Maybe longer than the weekend though.”

“Yeah.” She looked guilty now and tapped her foot, thinking. “But it’s not like Shaun’s hurting for supervision right now and it’s been a while since I’ve done anything for the Minutemen or the Railroad… he’s gotta get used to having a working mother at some point, right?”

“Right. It’ll be fine. I’m sure he’s doin’ it up big with Cait and X6.”

Nora frowned, “Well, I hope not. It’s past his bedtime.”

Deacon snorted, “Alright. Well… let’s do it to it, boss. Give ‘em what they’ve got coming.”

“Yeah.” They headed for the monorail together and as the door closed behind him, she squeezed his hand. “If I’ve got to do this, I’m glad I get to do it with you. I wouldn’t want anybody else to see… you know.”

Someday, someone was going to have to tell her that literally everyone she knew already knew she was the Nuka Cadet, but it wasn’t going to be him and it definitely wasn’t gonna be today. He tapped his temple, “Hey, your secrets are all safe in the vault. Nobody will ever know anything about you from me. I promise.”

“Thanks, Deacon.”

“Now let’s go win you that teddy bear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, don't feel bad, Deaks. Same thing happened to Hancock once. 😁
> 
> 12/19/19: Hey, guys! If you follow me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/wastelandmama) or Tumblr (wasteland-mama.tumblr.com), then you already know but I have broken my ankle. It's hard to get around & I'm still trying to get a handle on it, also next week is my daughter's winter break (2wks). So I don't know when I'll be able to really write. Updates will be super slow if they happen at all. Sorry for the inconvenience! I love you guys! ❤️❤️❤️


	12. The Legend Returns

May 9th, 2289

2:30am, The Gauntlet, Nuka World

Deacon smiled through the blood splatter on his face, “I’m kinda starting to understand why you weren’t fond of this place, boss.”

Nora wanted to laugh at his joke, pitiful though it was, but couldn’t. This entire situation had been spiraling out of control since they moment they’d entered that silly gauntlet. “Hold still, I’m administering the stim now.”

“Yeah, alright.”

They hadn’t done too poorly, all things considered. She was a trifle out of practice with her rifle, but that was quickly rectified. The hard way. It had all been fun and games for Deacon until a swarm of mutated flying ants had descended on him out of nowhere. They just darted around so fast. She’d been forced to grab a random board off the ground and start swinging, not trusting her aim enough even with Deliverer to take them out. The bites they’d inflicted where nasty, painful looking things. Red welts with clear pincer marks at the center. Most of them on his hands and the back of his neck. It was just terrible.

The stim slid easily into his neck and he sighed happily as it worked it’s magic. The wounds began to close, even though the skin around the area still looked red and uncomfortable. Some kind of mild poison, no doubt. They’d have to watch for infection.

“I’m sorry it took so long to get them off you, honey.”

“Nah, I’m alright.”

They’d apparently completed the trial and now stood on a metal staircase that lead up to a bolted door with a speaker next to it. There was a wall of glass a few feet up and she could tell exactly where they were by the ceiling in the next room.

The Cola Cars Arena. That couldn’t possibly be good. It was a violent ride even before raiders had taken the place.

A man who called himself RedEye kept squawking over the loudspeaker, admonishing them both for being so slow and stupid. Deacon had already flipped off every speaker and camera they’d seen, usually following it up with a shot from his sniper rifle for good measure.

He rolled his eyes as the next wave of insults began and popped his neck, “I’m going to have _ so much fun _ killing that DJ. I really am.”

“A raider DJ...who ever heard tell of such?”

Deacon snorted and then seemed to sober for a moment, “Nora… I’m sorry this turned into… this. If I’d known --”

She waved his apology away, “No, no, now. None of that. This is nobody’s fault but my own. To tell the truth, I was kinda excited to get back in it myself. Rebuilding is important and all, but direct action still feels better… in the short term, anyway.”

He smirked a bit, “Not into delayed gratification, huh, Professor?”

Her mind immediately raced back to all the times Mac had made her wait for things, usually while on her knees. She felt her cheeks go hot and was grateful for the bandanna Deacon had put on her face to keep her airways clear. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

His smirk grew, _ “Still _ a terrible liar.”

She decided against responding directly. “Alright, enough stalling. Let’s get this over with.”

“Right behind you.”

Nora eased up the stairs and took great comfort in that fact. Deacon had been her shadow quite literally since she’d left the vault. Her very own guardian angel. He’d taught her how to shoot, how to fight, how to survive. He’d held her hand through that first interview with Nick and held her through the night after she’d been forced to relive Nate’s death and Shaun’s abduction in the Memory Den. She’d have surely perished if he hadn’t been there every step of the way, carefully shepherding her along. Every time she wanted to give up or felt she couldn’t go on, he was there was a warm smile and a joke. He was a master of pointing out life’s little absurdities and she'd desperately needed that back then. She still did sometimes. No one save Mac understood her better.

“Aw, shit! Bumper cars! Fuck yeah!”

She chuckled at his enthusiasm but paused while he ooh’ed and aah’ed at the floor below with it’s broken cars. Two men stood closely together, one in a unique suit of power armor and the other tinkering with something at his back. She frowned at the metal rod that extended from where the fusion core should go and then blinked when all the pieces suddenly clicked together in her mind.

“He powers his armor through the ceiling.”

Deacon finally stopped babbling about the park and leaned forward, squinting behind his shades. “Yeah… what’s that about?”

“The cars were all powered through the ceiling. That’s how they stopped the ride when it was time to get off.” She pointed upward, “See? It’s an exposed grid.”

“Huh...and you old timers just let your kids go on these rides with exposed power grids sparking above them?”

“Well I certainly didn’t.”

“Who do you think Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum down there are?”

“I dunno…” There was an alarm blaring overhead, which was making it hard to focus. The door they were finally next to only had an intercom though, no way to hack their way in. Nora pressed the button but only got static. “Well… they got us here. Now what?”

“Who knows?”

The smaller man left the floor and the one in power armor came to observe them through the window. He stared up at them and laughed.

“What’s with the outfit, love? On a picnic, were we?”

“Oh, sexy accent.”

She frowned back at him. Was he from England? Were people still capable of international travel? Or maybe just raised by a Mister Handy? That would probably explain the lack of empathy for his fellow man. In any case, her outfit was perfectly suitable for mild to medium combat scenarios, which is exactly what she’d thought she was dressing for.

“This is hardly what one would wear to a picnic.”

“Don’t listen to him, sweetheart. You look cute as a button, just like you always do. Guy just doesn’t know fashion.”

“Clearly.”

If he heard them at all, he gave no indication. “I’m the Overboss of this here park. Here's a quick run down of how this works. You go stock up, make yourself presentable, and then we're gonna give these folks a show. A show where I decorate these walls here with your lovely brains. Thanks to this suit, I'm the only one that wins this fight. Period. And if you think your little friend there will do you any good, think again. The more the merrier.”

Deacon snickered, “Somebody doesn’t realize what big fish they caught in their little net, do they, boss?”

“No, I don’t think they do.”

“I almost feel sorry for this bozo.”

“That makes one of us.” Too many bodies. Too many innocent lives ruined and destroyed. Plus those hostages Harvey had talked about.

“Nice of him to provide a crowd. I always do my best work with an audience.”

“Says the shadowman.” Her eyes took in the teeming bleachers full of raiders. “They might be a problem.”

“You’ll think of something. You’re the Professor. You always think of something.”

The raider below spoke again, “All right, Gage. Let her through. Something tells me I'm really gonna enjoy this.”

“Pervert.”

“The one with the yellow armor is named Gage. Does that seem familiar?”

Deacon shook his head, “No, boss. Sorry.”

“That’s alright. It hardly matters.” The door suddenly swung open and she took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

“Yup.”

RedEye was back at his jabbering. “It’s almost time! After a run like that, this ought to be the best slaughter yet! Remember, longest survival time against Colter still stands at one minute, thirty-seven seconds!”

He snorted, “They actually found a stop watch somewhere for this nonsense.”

“Maybe one of them just counts.”

“I doubt it. How many raiders you know can count past ten with their shoes on?”

She chuckled and pushed open the door to the locker room, stepping into the dim space before the smell hit her. She immediately stepped back and bumped into Deacon. “Oh, sweet Jesus.”

His hand clapped over his nose, “Fucking hell… what’s with all the corpses?”

The room already would have been a sensory nightmare with the trademark Nuka red paint on everything. The splashes of fresh blood and the scent of carrion just made it all ten times worse.

“This place makes my head hurt.”

“Yeah, it’s not doing it for me, either. I’m pretty sure I saw this set in a horror film once.”

Suddenly RedEye, who still had not stopped speaking, cut out and a new voice came over the speakers. Rough, gravelly, oddly pleasant. There was a southern drawl to it. Different from her own. Arkansas, maybe?

“Alright, listen the hell up if you want to make it out of this alive. I’ve only got a minute.”

“God? Is that you? It’s me, Deacon.”

“Find the intercom on the wall. I’ll make it quick.”

Nora moved over next to the little silver box on the wall and pressed the button. “Hello? Who is this?”

“I’m the guy that’s gonna get you out of this alive, so listen up.”

A glance at Deacon and his responding nod had her pushing the button again. “Alright, I’m listening.”

“Smart. My kinda gal. Look, you made it this far. Obviously, you’ve got some skill. But this fight coming up is rigged. You get me?”

He nudged her shoulder and whispered, “Looks like somebody’s got a crush on you.”

“Overboss Colter… his power is set up to draw energy from the electric grid in the arena.”

She murmured to herself, “Which is odd that a bunch of raiders figured out how to do that.”

“Damn thing’s invincible. You name it, someone’s tried it - miniguns, grenades. Not a scratch. You get what I’m saying?”

Her nose scrunched up. Cheaters. She hated cheaters. If you were going to play games with people's lives, at least play fairly. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from a raider.”

The man on the intercom chuckled, “Heh, you know us well then. You want to win? I stashed a weapon in the lockers. Get it.”

She and Deacon frowned at each other and began to search. There were mini-nukes and bullets, but the man had said conventional weapons wouldn’t work. Nora started on a new bank of lockers while he rifled through some closer to the terminal.

“What’s with raiders and barbed wire? We should ask one someday...ya know, before we kill them.”

“It tamed the West.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” All the red was making it hard to focus. Everything just sort of bled together. Pun intended. Her hands brushed against something smooth and curved and she realized it was a gun of some sort. Her hand wrapped around the grip before her brain was able to put the pieces together and when it did, she almost dropped the damn thing. “Oh, no.”

Deacon’s head popped around the corner and he grinned, “Oh, _ hell _ yes.”

Nora shook it and liquid sloshed inside. “Oh, no, no, no.”

“Hey, look at that! Your grip’s better now. So that’s good, right? Let’s focus on the positive, boss.”

She gave him a flat look and stomped back to the intercom. “Is this some sort of joke? Do you find this amusing?”

“Hell no. Ain’t no joke.”

“It’s a Thirst Zapper. A _squirt gun.”_

“Yeah, yeah, I know what it looks like. You’re just gonna have to trust me on this.”

“Hey, think of it as a souvenir for Shaun, right? He’ll probably love it.”

A heavy sigh escaped her, “Yeah.”

“Great. It’s your lucky day then. Congratulations. Can we get on with it?”

“Oh, he’s pushy. Just my type.”

“Once the water hits Colter’s electrically-charged power armor, the circuits are gonna short out. It’ll kill his defenses, but you’ll only have some much time to do some damage before they recharge. You take him out, I promise you, it’ll be worth every minute spent in the Gauntlet.”

Her eyes lingered on her friend’s still bloodied face. “Somehow I doubt that very much.”

He frowned thoughtfully, “Could that really work? Shorting it out?”

“It depends on a number of factors, but… it’s possible, I suppose.”

The toy felt heavy in her hand. Ridiculous. She was suddenly right back to that overly bright set, exhausted and overwhelmed by the demands of the shoot. Jumping off that silly trampoline again and again into foam blocks to get the weightless look of outer space just right. Unable to understand how they kept telling her every shot was beautiful when she felt so close to a nervous breakdown and they just kept making her do it over and over.

Deacon’s hand was on her shoulder suddenly and he squeezed gently. “Stay with me, angel. Take a deep breath.”

Stupid contest. Stupid commercial. Stupid park. Stupid girl. Should never have come here. “Okay.” She closed her eyes and obeyed, pulling oxygen into her lungs and letting it out twice as slowly.

“Everything is going to be alright.”

No, it won’t. “Yeah...”

“He’s just some trumped up idiot who thinks he’s tough shit. _ We’re _ the tough shit, right?”

“Right.”

“Damn straight. You and me? We’re what the monsters in the dark are scared of. Don’t ever forget it.”

A mag lock released and the door leading out of the locker room swung open. The man on the intercom spoke again.

“Alright, it’s time. I’ll see you on the other side.”

Nora brought her rifle around but kept its strap slung over her shoulder. Firing from the hip wasn’t ideal, but it would be better than trying to switch out weapons constantly. Deacon loaded a round in the chamber and she was momentarily struck by how soothing the sound was. It reminded her of Mac.

They were moving through the door when she suddenly stopped. _ “Oh!” _

“What? What is it?”

“Mac’s gonna be so mad at me!”

“What?”

“He specifically said no adventures while he was gone. That he’d be jealous.”

“Oooh, that’s a paddlin’ right there, boss. You’re in _ trouble!” _ He said it in a teasing, singsongy kind of way that dissolved into laughter as he watched her ears turn red. He snorted and nudged her along. “Now come on. Let’s go kill these assholes. I’m exhausted. Too much excitement. I need a nap.”

“Well… you do get cranky without your naps.”

“Yeah, too bad for them.”

They stepped into the waiting area just before the arena and Nora focused hard on the man standing in front of them. It was loud, and bright, and there were too many colors, too many smells. She hated it. She’d always hated it, but the raiders had definitely made it worse somehow.

Colter raised his arms. “All right! Disciples! Are you ready for blood!”

The crowd of rough looking raiders in leather and blood chanted, “Death! Death! Death!”

“And the pack! Are you ready for things to get wild!”

A howling sound full of rage and euphoric delight erupted from the other side.

Deacon scowled, “Guy thinks he’s a real showman, don’t he?”

“Like watching a fun-house PT Barnum.”

“Operators! Are you ready to see me notch another kill!”

The last group just looked bored. Polite golf claps and the occasional whistle were the only answer their overboss received.

“At least there’s one bunch who’s as bored as we are.”

She didn’t answer. She was staring at the ‘you must be this tall to ride this ride’ sign and wondering who the last child to measure themselves against it was. Had they made it out okay before the bombs fell? Maybe sheltered in place here. That must have been terrifying. To be in a place that was supposed to bring such joy when the world ended.

At least as bad as preparing to take your baby to the park and having the sirens go off. Surely.

Colter finally pointed at them, “And you! Are you ready to die? Let’s do this!”

That strangely comforting feeling of white-hot fury engulfed her and she strode into the arena, Deacon on her heels. She went left, knowing he’d immediately go right, and dove behind one of the stationary Nuka bottle statues on the floor.

Power armor might be handy in battle, but it certainly wasn’t nimble. Colter crashed along after her and she slid around the giant bottle fast enough to hit him in the back with a squirt of water. Sparks and smoke flew and she hit it again a few times before the suit started to shake, a wave of discharged electricity making her hair stand on end.

Immediately Deacon was firing. Round after round into Colter’s helmet. Nora knew from personal experience how overwhelmingly discombobulating that could be, even in a proper standard issue helmet and whatever Colter was wearing certainly wasn’t that. She went for the suit’s knees and feet to slow him down further. He had a decent rifle on him, and managed to get a shot off. It missed but the shrapnel hit her leg. She winced at the bright flare of pain and her mind immediately boxed it away to be worried about later. The ballistic weave of her jeans kept her from bleeding and she held her finger down on the trigger of her rifle, charging the shot to full capacity before firing it directly at his head.

A massive explosion of electromagnetic energy and the kinetic force behind the rapier thin disks blew his helmet, and most of his head apart. Colter slumped in the suit and it stilled.

Dead silence reigned for just a moment. She put the Thirst Zapper in one of her overshirt’s pockets and quietly waited for whatever was coming next. Deacon eased out of the shadows and took point.

A wave of disquiet and shocked gasps filled the arena. The raiders were looking at each other like they didn’t know what to do, but she noticed some of them had sly, knowing looks on their faces.

It looked like the mysterious man on the intercom hadn’t been the only one planning this coup.

One of the men from the bored ground spoke up, “This girl? Are you serious, Gage?”

A woman snarled from the other side of the arena, “You better know what the hell you’re doing!”

The man from before, Gage apparently, spoke over the loudspeaker from inside the control booth. “Hey, we talked about this! She survived the gauntlet! She was smart enough to take my advice and strong enough to kill Colter! She’s what we need.”

Deacon moved a little closer, “Boss, I’ve got a pretty good idea of where this is headed…”

Mob mentality and crowd dynamics was outside her area of expertise. “Well, I hope you’re willing to share with the rest of the class then.”

Gage had his hands on his hips, admonishing his fellow raiders. “So how about we show some respect for our new leader, eh?”

She started at that. “Wait, what?”

“Oh, man… what an opportunity.” He leaned over her shoulder and whispered, “I’ve got an idea. You’re gonna _hate_ it, but it’s our best shot. Just go along with it, alright? Play the part, just like I taught you.”

The crowd was now murmuring unhappily. It looked like her reign of terror as Overboss was going to be short lived. “What’s the part?”

“Badass warrior space queen from the past.”

“What?” She turned to look at him and gasped in surprise when he tore her bandanna off, holding it up and waving it all around. “Deacon! Are you _ insane?” _

He hopped up on a car just to make sure he had their undivided attention. “Disciples! Operators! Pack! From your most esteemed leaders to your greenest recruits, today... today, you find yourselves equals. For you are all equally blessed. For I have the pride, the privilege, nay, the _ pleasure _ of introducing to you to a woman who has crossed both time and space to be with us tonight! I first met her just after she’d crawled from the very grave itself, full of righteous fury, hellbent on revenge against those who’d wronged her! And I have had the _ honor _ of following behind in her ruinous wake every day since! Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you, in all her glory, Miss Ellie Jo Cabot! _ The original Nuka Cadet!” _

Nora wanted to run and hide in the nearest closet. The crowd was still muttering, only now they were all pressing up against the arena glass, trying to get a good look at her. Her hands tightened on her rifle and she tried to not hyperventilate.

She’d had nightmares just like this.

Well… sort of. At least in reality she still had clothes.

Deacon just kept talking. “Yes! I know! I know what you’re thinking! It can’t _ possibly _ be her! But _ it is! _ All thanks to the miracle of cryostasis! She’s slept over two hundred years and now has risen from the past to reclaim her beloved Nuka World!” He finally seemed to notice she wasn’t as enthusiastic about all this as he was and held out a hand. “Come on up here, honey. Give ‘em a show.”

They were still leering. At least five hundred strong. All visibly armed. Some even looked capable. Nora reluctantly let the stranglehold on her rifle go and climbed up onto the car next to Deacon. She took a deep breath, removed her glasses and flipped her hair just like she had in all those ridiculous commercials.

A fake, shallow smile crossed her face and she planted a hand on her hip. The speech she’d once agonized over memorizing for Opening Day came back to her like she’d just finished rehearsing it.

“Hello, Nuka World! My name is Ellie Jo Cabot, your Miss Nuka Cadet!”

It sounded oddly flat to her ears with her accent missing and the cheery chipper tones she’d used for this role a lifetime ago, but the crowd seemed to get into it. The rest of the speech wouldn’t work. She couldn’t very well welcome them to a place they already lived, after all. She glanced over at Deacon and his knowing smirk gave her courage. It was just a joke. A joke they were both in on. She could do this. Badass warrior space queen. Method acting just like he’d taught her.

She let her voice go back to normal and channeled in the authoritative tones she used when addressing her men, only with none of the affection she normally felt. “I ran your pathetic little Gauntlet, and I killed your dickless Overboss. Now _ I’m _ the Overboss, and if anyone has a problem with that, you can step up and we’ll settle it right here and now. But I’m only gonna tell you this once: you either get with the program or I will personally eject you from _ my _ park. I was here Opening Day!” She pointed at an elevated VIP box that now held strange thrones that looked like they’d been made from...ferals? Oh. Delightful. “I knew John-Caleb Bradberton personally and had drinks with him in that very box! Deacon here was right. You’re all equal in my eyes because you’re all _ squatters _ as far as I’m concerned. Every day after today that I let you live is nothing less than a blessing from on high. So shut your fucking mouths and give thanks that I’m in a merciful kinda mood tonight.” She had both hands on her hips now, feet planted and rage in her eyes.

Uneasy silence settled over the crowd. Then whispers reached her ears. They thought she was crazy. Just some (other?) crazy lady who was obsessed with Nuka Cola. That made her want to laugh. If only she could be that lady. Her eyes landed on Gage in the booth and she tilted her chin up, challenging him to do something. Anything.

He was at least perceptive enough to take the hint and slowly entered the arena. His boots sounded oddly ominous and loud on the concrete floor. It felt like everyone was holding their breath.

When he finally reached the car they’d commandeered as a stage, he peered up at her hard. If she’d been wearing her glasses, she probably would have ducked her head altogether, but him being rendered into a fuzzy shape gave her the ability to hold eye contact. Probably. Maybe. She was for sure staring hard at where she assumed his eyes should be.

His head tilted this way and that and the blooming blur of white on his face let her know he was smiling. “Well, I’ll be goddamned.” He turned back to the crowd, “It’s _ her! _ It’s the goddamn Nuka Cadet!”

A tall man from the more colorful group stood and knocked on the glass, getting their attention. “Are you tryin’ to yank our chains, Gage?”

He swung his arm up, pointing at her and she had to make herself not lean back. Depth perception had never been her strong suit.

“Just look at ‘er! Look at that face! Tell me you don’t recognize it!”

Nora could feel the other man’s gaze on her even if she couldn’t exactly make it out. Deacon went unnaturally still behind her before casually brushing a single finger along her forearm. 

_ Predator. Stay still. _

She barely shifted her weight in acknowledgement. Her eyes narrowed in the man’s general direction and she scowled as fiercely as she could.

“I dunno, man…”

“Well, get your damn eyes checked then, Mason, cause it’s her! Shit, I know you’ve got that cardboard cutout stashed in the Den. Don’t try to deny it.”

The back of his hand touched the side of her knee. It would’ve looked completely accidental to anyone who was watching, but it was all part of the code he’d taught her ages ago.

_ Make a move. _

She took a deep breath and barked at them both, “I don’t give two shits if you believe it or you don’t.” Her eyes went back to Gage and she shoved her glasses back on her face. Ah. The man only had one eye. Well then. Less to focus on. “Well? Does this park have a place for a lady to clean up at, or have y’all not figured out how to unlock Bradberton’s personal quarters yet?”

Gage held out a hand for her to take so she could hop down and smiled at her as she did. Strangely gracious for a raider. “Well, I dunno about Bradberton’s pad or anything, but the Overboss’s place is officially yours. Top of Fizztop Grille.”

Talk about strategic high ground. Colter had clearly been an imbecile, so was Gage the true power behind the throne? Or was there someone else hidden away in the park who actually had a functioning brain despite the chems and the lifestyle?

She scoffed, “The old restaurant?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Deacon jumped down behind her and grinned. “Then please do lead the way, _ garson!” _

  
  


May 11th, 2289

Capital Wasteland, Andale

The trip from Canterbury Commons to Andale typically took six hours. Mac and Curie made it in just under five. As much as Curie was clearly dying to get to know the residents there, and probably rest her feet after the brutal pace he’d set, Mac was determined to get to the farm by sunset at the absolute latest, so they pushed on.

The little homestead he and Lucy had so carefully carved out of nothing was just a little further south. Almost to the old Nuka Cola factory. It wasn’t much, just a ramshackle cabin with a few rooms to it and a decent sized barn, but it was supposed to be a jumping off point of sorts. Lucy had always had big dreams of living somewhere different. Somewhere else. Anywhere else, really, but her daydreams usually involved heading south. Someplace warm where survival never depended on finding fuel to burn.

But you couldn’t just leave a place without a map to follow. That’s what had lead them to searching along the Blue Line out of DC. They’d had good luck finding bits and pieces of old AAA maps on some of the skeletons there. Tourists from out of town, mostly. Charon had given them the tip. He’d said pre-war people used to stay in hotels outside the expensive city and then ride the trains in.

Their real goal on that last trip had been a rumored underground parking complex for those very tourists, but they’d never gotten that far.

“Mac, please. I realize you are most excited, but we really must stop.”

He suppressed an impatient groan and stopped behind the scientist, “What now?”

“I just need to catch my breath. It will only be a moment.” Curie had found a high quality rock to sit on and flopped down, breathing hard from their endless jog.

“I told you that backpack was too much.”

She scowled at him, “It was just fine until someone decided they wanted to run the last twenty-five miles of the trip!”

Well, she had him there. He was used to keeping a loping, easy dog trot going for as long as he needed. Now that he was thinking about it, he didn’t think he’d ever seen Curie move faster than a brisk walk.

He lit a cigarette and tried to not look as impatient as he felt. It was right there. Right there! Just over the next ridge. If he climbed up on the nearby overpass, he could totally…

“Curie, I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

“Rifle out. Safety off.”

“Is that really --”

“This ain’t Boston. It’s different and dangerous here. Do as I say, please.”

She sighed heavily but brought out her plasma rifle anyway. _“_ _ Oui.” _

Mac dropped his pack by her feet, headed towards the destroyed support column and started to shimmy up it. Had to be at least thirty feet tall. Perfect for a lookout spot, and with his binoculars, he’d be able to see everything. Maybe even Duncan.

“Oh my! Do be careful, Mac!”

“Oh, wow. Thank God you said something, Curie. I’d never have known to be careful!” He quietly muttered against the rough concrete and concentrated on making it to a flat surface. Once safely on the overpass, he stood and waved, refusing to verbally acknowledge her.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Curie, of course. He really did. They’d just been together a lot, for a long time, and she either treated him like the king of the universe or like a very large child. Nothing in between. She considered him an expert on about five things, and _only_ those five things. On everything else she seemed to assume he was a complete idiot.

That kinda treatment just grated on a man after a few weeks.

Mac crossed the pavement and squinted down into the valley. Some kind of fog was hanging over their farm. It was thick enough to turn everything gauzy and undefined. That was… different. The air in DC was typically too dry for fog this time of year. A funny tickling feeling in his belly told him maybe he didn’t want to look any harder.

He did anyway.

Curie was just finishing her water when a sudden scream had her scrambling back onto her feet, rifle at the ready. The Capitol Wasteland, devoid of life and suffering from a surplus of broken concrete and ruined infrastructure, had a serious issue with sound echoing. It took her a moment to realize the sound had actually come from her friend high above her.

She watched in horror as he slid down the column with far less grace than he’d ascended it. He suddenly jumped, choosing to fall the last ten feet in a somewhat controlled drop and she winced as he hit the ground, rolled and immediately got up, running right past her like she wasn’t even there.

“Mac! _ Qu'est-ce qu'il? Où est l'urgence?” _

If he heard her at all, he gave no sign. Curie hurriedly grabbed both their packs and followed. He’d already darted out of sight, over the crest of the hill, and she felt a rare zing of true panic and fear shoot through her. Adrenaline, cortisol and glucose were flooding her body, she knew. Fight or flight instincts had been engaged.

Mac didn’t panic. Not on the road, at least. He always knew what to do. Was always calm and steady and prepared. She’d felt safe the entire four hundred and fifty miles she’d so diligently followed him. He was the expert. Madame had said so. She had nothing to fear so long as he was with her.

Which is probably why she was so afraid now that he’d suddenly bolted.

She tried to get her heart rate under control. Breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. Willed herself to compartmentalize these inconvenient signals her adrenal gland was sending. Madame could do it, and this body had been made from her DNA, so she should be able to do it, too.

Why couldn’t she do it?

Curie finally caught up to Mac at the bottom of the hill. It wasn’t the marathon flight she’d been worried it was going to be. He was curled up in the fetal position at the edge of a blackened field. It looked to have once had corn growing in it, maybe.

Her eyes were wide and worried as she stared at him. The little noises coming from his throat almost sounded like he was choking. _Was_ he choking? _ Mon Dieu. _

The fear in her mind paused for a moment as her two hundred years of training finally kicked in.

_ Step one, check to see if the situation is safe. _

Curie dropped their packs by Mac’s prone form and raised her rifle, using her scope to carefully study what terrain was visible through the heavy smoke still hanging over the little valley. The cabin he’d spoke of was nothing more than a few sticks surrounding a pile of ashes. The barn was a bit further along, but looked to be burned as well. Its doors were open and she could see light filtering in through the other side.

No movement. No sounds other than the ones her companion was making. If scavengers had been attracted to this place, they’d already come and gone.

Satisfied that they were alone, she lowered her weapon.

_ Step two, access the emergency. _

She dropped to one knee by Mac’s side, using the rifle for balance. He was curled up so tightly she couldn’t see his face, but she could see the pulse in his neck fluttering. Fast. At least one twenty and rising. Tachycardia. Short, shallow breaths. Close to hyperventilating. He needed to calm down.

_ Step three, administer aid. _

She took a deep breath to steady her own nerves and carefully laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

“Mac? Can you hear me?” His whole body was shuddering under her touch and she finally realized the noises coming from his throat were sobs. He was crying.

She hadn’t even known he ever did that.

There was Med-X in her pack. That would knock him out at least, but then what? She didn’t know enough about setting up camp or checking perimeters to keep him safe while he was unconscious.

He needed help. _ They _ needed help. She wished Monsieur Enrique were here. Or that they were back home and the Minutemen were --

“Hey.”

She shot back up and leveled her weapon square between the eyes of the man who suddenly stood in front of them. It was like he’d come from nowhere. Tall, wild, dark hair and eyes. Sunglasses pushed up on his head. Road leathers. Confident, smirky smile. There was a fey and feral feeling to him that did nothing to assuage her growing anxiety.

He kind of reminded her of Monsieur Deacon, actually.

“Identify yourself, please.”

His smile grew, “Ah, she really does have the accent. _ Fantastic.” _

Mac was on his feet before she even had time to process what the man had just said. He grabbed him by the collar and snarled, looking nothing like the man she’d come to know and admire in the past few months.

For the first time ever, he finally looked like a mercenary to her.

“Did you do this?! Was it you?” He shook him hard enough that the glasses fell off his head. “Answer me, you motherfucking freak!”

“Whoa, whoa, Paddy-Mac. Calm down, baby. This wasn’t me. Come on. You know better than that.”

“Then who was it?”

He scrunched up his face, “Oh, the usual suspects. Don’t worry. I handled it. Free of charge.” His grin from before resurfaced and she realized this man might not have full control of his mental faculties. “You’re welcome.”

Mac finally released him with a none too gentle shove. “Where’s my family?”

“I’mma take you to them. Why do you think I’m hanging around here? Sheesh.” His hands went into his pockets and Curie immediately took a step back and retrained her rifle on his chest. He acknowledged the movement with a carefree sort of shrug, “But first!” He took out a new pair of sunglasses and slipped them on before leaning a little towards her. “Pardon me, precious, but do you have a Geiger counter?”

Oh. _ Oh! _ She immediately dropped her rifle. “Mine is in the shop...Agent Omega?”

“Agent Papillon.”

“You are my contact?”

_ “Oui.” _

Mac was busy scrubbing his face with a bandanna, but scowled at that. “What are you on about now?”

The agent completely ignored him and bowed, deep and dramatic like he thought he was in a pre-war movie. “I am pleased to meet you, Mademoiselle Curie. Heard a lot about you through the grapevine. All good things, of course. I am Benjamin James Morgan, esquire. At your eternal service, baby.”

“Ah… thank you?” She glanced over at her companion, who seemed to be resigned to whatever was going to happen next no matter how awful. A dissociative state, perhaps? “If I may ask, how do you know Mac?”

He stood upright again and bounced over to Mac in a spritely sort of way, throwing his arm over his shoulders. “Oh, Bob-O-Kink and I go way, _way_ back!”

“Get off me.”

“Yeah, I guess it was... wow, more than a decade now.” He laughed, “Time flies, huh, kiddo?”

Mac finally managed to wrestle the stranglehold Ben had on his shoulders off and answered Curie’s question himself. “Ben here _used to be_ a local legend. They called him the Lone Wanderer. He showed up in Lamplight when I was still mayor and was a colossal pain in the a… butt.”

“Ah! Yes! I have heard of this person! He blew up a mountain, yes?”

He snorted, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Ben pouted. _ “Raven Rock. _ It was a top secret bad guy base called Raven Rock.”

“That was a long time ago though, when he was actually almost good for something.”

“Rude, baby. That’s just rude.”

“So why are you here? Really?”

He grinned, “Alright, I’ll be straight with you. I ain’t here for you at all. I’m actually here for Little Miss Girl of my Dreams 2289.”

“What?”

“Railroad business, hotshot. Big kids only.”

Mac closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to head off the headache that was no doubt coming. “Deacon.”

“Yup.”

“Great.”

“But I do know where your family went. I mean, of course I do. I know everything.” He smiled at Curie, “You’ll find I’m in the know about most things around here. Think of me as Deacon Lite.”

Her face immediately went from cautiously optimistic to downright grumpy. “Ah. Thank you for the warning.”

“Aw, don’t be like that, baby...you know what? I’mma give you a new name. How’s that?”

“A new name?”

“Yeah, baby! Only my best and most personal friends get a custom nickname from yours truly!”

“What is wrong with the name I have?”

He ignored her question and looked her over thoroughly, “For you, I’m thinking… Sweet Roll.”

Mac finally opened his eyes. “No.”

“Kitten?”

_ “No.” _

Curie shook her head, _ “Non, _ that would be inappropriate as it is something Mac calls Madame when they are in engaged in --”

_ “Curie!” _

“Ah, _pardon.”_

Ben’s sharp, if devilish eyes, immediately went to Mac’s flustered face. “Oh, ho, ho. What’s this now? What? You got a new girl, Mac-n-Cheese?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Hmm.” He narrowed his eyes and then gave Curie a charming, bullshit smile. “I bet Madame is just _lovely,_ huh?”

She brightened considerably, all too happy to talk about one of her favorite subjects. “Oh! _ Oui! _ Madame is the most intelligent, kindest, most beautiful --”

“Curie. Nuh-uh. It’s best to not give him unnecessary information. It just feeds the beast.”

“The beast?”

“So what’s Madame do? Besides being _amazing,_ I mean.”

“Ah…” She gave Mac a confused look before answering. “Madame is General Cabot of the Commonwealth Minutemen, mayor of Sanctuary and Agent Professor of the Railroad.”

He whistled low, “Busy lady.” He cocked an eyebrow at Mac, “And she’s still got time for your sorry ass? I’m impressed, kiddo. You really swung for the fences with this one, huh?”

“Just...where is my family, Morgan? Or was that just more BS?”

“Not bullshit. I know where they’re at. Hell, I might be the _only person_ you know who can get you to where they’re at.”

Yeah, that headache was going to be brutal. He could already tell. “Great.”

“Duncan’s coming up great, by the way. I mean, he looks like Lucy-goosey, thank _ God, _ but yeah. Little cutie-pie. Probably break a lot of hearts someday.”

That got his attention. “You saw him?”

“Yeah. Shit, yeah. Saw him, talked to him, all that jazz.” He play boxed Mac’s arm for a second, “Heck of a scrapper, too, for a pipsqueak. That part’s all his daddy for sure.”

A scrapper? The Duncan he remembered wouldn’t have hurt a bloatfly. “Huh.”

“Anyway! Our mutual friend up your way asked me to serve as Agent Papillon’s guide. So. As long as the boss lady here wants to go see your kid, then I guess you can tag along, too. Probably violates opsec, but fuck it.”

“Can’t you just tell us --”

“You ever heard of Rockopolis, kid?”

He frowned, “That’s not a real place. It’s just a story from the radio.”

Ben scoffed, “Well then call me Mister Tumnus cause I’m about to take you through the wardrobe.”

Now what was he talking about? “What?”

He sighed, “Man, if they didn’t make a comic about it, it ain’t worth knowin’, huh?”

“Chronicles of Narnia, yes?”

“Ah! Beautiful, educated, extraordinary. Tell me, boo-boo, are you single?”

“Yes?”

“Wanna mingle?”

Mac picked his pack up from where Curie had initially dropped it and pushed him away from her, “That’s enough of that. Let’s go. _Now._ March.”

“Aw.”

He watched Ben go for a few feet and glanced back at the synth, “You alright back there?”

“He is most… unusual.”

“Yeah.” He let her go on ahead and followed close behind.

Unusual. That was a word for it, he guessed. Unusual levels of calamity almost always followed in his wake anyway. Mac just hoped his head was on straight for this because if he just lead them around in circles for shits and giggles, the legend of the Lone Wanderer was going to have a very sudden and violent end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, a few things.
> 
> I took large amounts of Deacon's introduction speech from 'A Knight's Tale'. Because Chaucer is the best. Also, this particular LW is actually very loosely based on Jean-Ralphio from Parks & Rec. (That's why his name is Ben. LOL) So if you want a visual aid, look him up.
> 
> Also, I left notes on the previous chapter & my profile, but I broke my dang ankle just a few days before Xmas, which is why things are v slow in being posted. (The pain is distracting and gets worse the longer I sit fully upright.) I should be good around mid-February, maybe? I hope, anyway.
> 
> Gonna keep plunking away, no matter how slowly things come. Apologies. ❤


	13. It's not the heat, it's the humanity.

May 11th, 2289

Capital Wasteland, I-66 west of Andale

“So yeah, you see that big ass building over there?”

_ “Oui.” _

“That’s the old Tenpenny Tower. Nice, right? Yeah, I almost lived there, once. Coulda, but I wasn’t about to blow up Megaton for those assholes. Some of my favorite people live in Megaton.”

“Fascinating.”

“Long story short, I had to off Mister Tenpenny himself. Guy wasn’t cool at all. I mean, not even a little. Had this little bitch-boy named Burke I had to off, too. Dude actually put a bounty on my head, can you believe that, baby?”

“This seems to happen to you quite a bit.”

“It really does! I dunno why.”

“I have a working theory.”

Mac almost laughed at the icy disdain in Curie’s voice. He felt a little bad letting her be the buffer between him and Ben, but it was better than the alternative.  _ If _ he was telling the truth here, and  _ if _ his family were in hiding, he was literally the only person who could get him to where they were. So not murdering the idiot before they got there was pretty high priority.

Pretty big if’s though.

Curie had already learned that if you let too much silence build in the former hero’s presence, absurd things followed, so she filled the void. “You said the usual suspects attacked Mac’s home, yes?”

“Yup.”

“Who would those be, please?”

He sighed irritably and shook his head, “Brotherhood.”

“The Brotherhood?”

“Yeah. Last name, ‘Of Steel’. You know ‘em?”

_ “Oui, _ I have had more than one unpleasant confrontation with them myself.”

“God. See? If they can’t even get along with you, they can’t get along with anybody. Fuck.” Ben turned and walked backward, a hand over his heart and a surprisingly genuine penitent look on his face. “On behalf of the Brotherhood, I’d like to personally extend my sincerest apologies for them being bitches. I dunno what happened there. I did my best, but…” He shrugged, “Sometimes kids just don’t grow up how you want.”

Curie frowned, “Explain, please. Are you saying that you are Brotherhood?”

“Technically? Yes. In every other way,  _ hell _ no.”

Mac rolled his eyes, “Ben used to be a big hot shot with them, too.”

“The biggest.”

“How odd. Madame is technically a member as well, though she refuses to acknowledge it.”

Ben snorted and turned back around, “Artie just threw the rank on her, didn’t he?”

“Yes! How did you --”

“Kid never could be chill. He probably clapped eyes on her and came up with some big manifest destiny for her to fulfill in his head. That’s just how he rolls. Always has been.”

“What was your part in the Brotherhood?”

“Well, that's kinda… see, what you gotta understand is, I was a member back when it was still cool. Lyons era, baby. When they had a sense of humor and some style.”

“He married their elder.” Curie looked at him over her shoulder for confirmation and Mac shrugged, “It was on the radio.”

Her focus immediately turned back on Ben. “You are married?”

“Was. I’m a widower.”

“Oh… oh, I am truly sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, well… Sarah was too good for this world anyway. Too good for me, too, come to think of it. Once she was gone, things just weren’t the same, so I eventually split. Fuck ‘em.”

“But you are still a member?”

He chuckled, “Oh yeah. Actually, come to think of it, I’m probably the officer of rank in these parts now that Artie’s up north. Maybe after I get you guys sorted, I’ll go to the Citadel and make everybody crap their pants. Shake it up a little. Do something really radical like order them to actually help people for once.”

“So why did they attack Mac’s family? They are difficult, but that does not seem to align with their philosophy.”

“Well, three reasons, sugar butt. One, our buddy Bryan likes to go tech diving in some pretty dicey locales. Has a special knack for finding high grade tech in the strangest of places. He’s been on their radar a long time.”

“Ah.”

“Two, Charon is a very special ghoul. A very special, big, pre-war, military trained ghoul. He used to hang out with me a lot so he knows a lot of things they think he shouldn’t. And while the Lyonses were cool about it, nobody else ever was. So he’s been on their radar a while, too.”

“Hmm.”

“But the big reason is probably what happened in Rivet City.”

Mac frowned at the back of his head. “What happened in Rivet City?”

“Oh, I’ll let the boys tell you all about that. I’m sure they’re looking forward to giving you an earful on it and I’d hate to deprive them of the opportunity.”

“Why were they even  _ in _ Rivet City?”

“Why indeed? Questions, questions, questions. You know, I don’t remember you ever being this curious when you were a kid. It’s nice to see you’re branching out a little, Roberto. Must be that new honey’s influence, huh?”

“Not really.”

Ben grinned at Curie, “So just how smart is Madame, dewdrop?”

“Madame is quite intelligent, thank you. Also very educated.”

“Educated, huh? Where’s she from?”

“Nowhere.” “Norfolk.”

They spoke over each other and Mac glared as hard as he could at the back of her head. It was probably too much to hope that she’d just keep her mouth shut. Once you got her talking about Nora, she’d go on forever.

“Norfolk, huh? That’s Virginia, right?”

_ “Oui.” _

“Interesting, interesting. So what kinda education they got goin’ on in Virginia these days? You know, I was brought up in a Vault. A control Vault, even. Had access to the finest learning Vault-Tec could come up with.”

“How nice for you.”

“Thanks...so? She a Vault dweller, too, or…”

“Yes, in a way.”

“In a way? In what way?”

“Madame and her family were placed in Vault 111 when the bombs fell, but were almost immediately frozen, so she does not truly consider herself a Vault dweller.”

He stopped, mouth open and stared at her. “Frozen.”

_ “Oui.” _

“Vault experiment?”

_ “Oui.” _

“Pre-war popsicle.” He leaned over and stared at Mac, “Your girl’s a pre-war popsicle.”

“Hey! Don’t call her that.” It was only okay when  _ he _ did it and he only ever did it in his head.

“Damn, son! When you cash in, you really cash in big, huh? Shit.” He started walking again, “Pre-war dame. Un-fucking-believable. So what kinda education are we talking here,  _ ma belle?” _

Curie glanced back at Mac, finally seeming to realize this was probably a dangerous line of inquiry. He just shrugged back at her. Cat was out of the bag already. No getting out of it now.

“Madame was first educated at the Norfolk Academy, founded in 1728.”

“Now that sounds like one of those fancy private schools.” Ben whistled, “So we’re talkin’ money. M-m-m-money.”

_ “Oui, _ the Cabots have always been wealthy, although the branch Madame is from is not the wealthiest. The Boston Cabots are.”

He snorted, “M’kay. Poor southern relations, huh? Bet they still lived in a big ol’ mansion, right?”

_ “Oui.” _

“Called it. So where’d she go to college? One of the Sisters?”

“Ah, no. While Madame was accepted to both Yale and Vassar, she chose to attend Boston College.”

“Now _that's_ different. No interest in being a legacy, huh? So that either means it was a bad legacy or she just wanted to try making it on her own.”

Curie sniffed, “The Cabots have never been anything but exemplary --”

“Ah ha. She went rogue on ‘em then. I like her already. Smart, rich, classy debutante and she… ends up with  _ Mac.” _ He looked over his shoulder and frowned hard at him. “That doesn’t seem right. Unless there's mighty slim pickin's in Boston these days.”

“What the hell is that --”

“Then again, Lulu was about ten leagues above your own, too, so…” He shrugged, “Must be some kinda crazy charm that only comes out for the ladies, I guess.” His head tilted back and forth while he considered things. “Yeah, alright. I can see it. Maybe. Need to get a woman's opinion. What do you think of our boy, Curie? Snack or no?”

“Snack?”

“Yeah, like… hot or not?”

“Hot?” A little line appeared between her brows, “He is not ill.”

“No, baby. No. Do you find him attractive or not?”

“Ah.”

“You don’t have to answer that, Curie.”

“Of course he is attractive!”

Mac felt his face go warm and was grateful for the twilight around them. “Thanks.”

“You are welcome!” She smiled brightly at him and then turned back to Ben, “He also finds me attractive.”

“Curie!”

“You do! Did you not say I could be Madame’s sister?”

“Well… yeah, but --”

“Then I must be attractive to you.”

“I… I guess.” Fuck. If Nora ever heard about this, he was going to end up explaining himself for a week.

“Hmm, well, if she does look like you, she must be a real dolly.”

“A dolly?”

_ “Une belle.” _

“Ah,  _ oui, _ she is.”

“You don’t have a picture, do you?”

“Can we talk about something else now? Hmm? Anything else? Hey, how’s… uh... the guy. That guy who was always with you.”

“Charon?”

“No, idiot, the other one. Mouthy.”

“Oh, oh, oh! Butchie! Yeah, he’s good. Thanks for asking.”

“He ever become a… uh… what was it?”

“A hair stylist.”   


Mac snorted quietly to himself, “Yeah, that.”

“Sure did! He’s got a hell of a swanky salon in Megaton. Just opened last year. Calls it Silver Snips.”

“Silver Snips?”

“Yeah. It was originally called Snake’s Snips, but nobody liked it. The Brass Lantern’s the most popular joint in town, so he said ‘What’s better than brass? Silver!’ and went with that.”

“Why not Golden Snips?”

“He digs the alliteration.”

“Hmm.” They were way off the road now. Moving into rocky territory. Mac nudged Curie a little so she’d follow Ben closer. Too high a risk of him trying to ditch them in the dark. “So are we close or what?”

“Eh. We’re getting there. You ever heard of Brigadoon?”

“I thought it was called Rockopolis.”

“I have heard of it.” She glanced back at him, a clear look of concern on her face. “Brigadoon is a town from a story that only appears once every hundred years and is otherwise inaccessible.”

In other words, bullshit. “Ben. Stop.”

He turned and casually leaned against a rock. “Yeah, baby?”

His pistol was pressed against the man’s forehead before he even got the words out. “If you’re just jerking me around? If this is some kind of joke? You better laugh real freaking hard, cause it’ll be the last time you ever do.”

Curie nodded in agreement, “Yes, if this is all some sort of farce, I will also be  _ most  _ upset.”

“Shit, Roberre. Calm your tits.”

“I mean it.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” He pushed the gun aside and frowned at him. “You need to work on your people skills, kiddo.  _ Still. _ Maybe ask your southern belle for some etiquette lessons, huh? Cotillion and whatnot.”

“Where is my son, Benjamin?”

He smiled at him. A rare, real one that called up vague memories of the dashing force for good he’d once been. “Ah, I forgot. That’s my bad, man. My bad.”

“Forgot what?”

“Not everybody has a shit dad.” He shrugged, “We gotta backtrack about twenty feet. Entrance is up this little canyon. Sorta. You walked right past it.”

“What?” Mac holstered his gun, reluctantly, and followed behind him. “We  _ passed _ it?”

“Yeah.” Another shrug, “What can I say? I missed you. We were having a good time… thought I’d take you the scenic route.”

“The hell is wrong with you, man? Seriously?”

“Daddy issues. Abandonment issues. Martyr complex. Little Oedipus complex for flavor. How much time you got?” They came to what looked like any other crevice in the rock and he stopped, waving them along. “Duncan’s a lucky kid, Mac. He’s got you, you got him. Never forget how important that is. Anyway, be seein’ you.”

“You aren’t coming inside?”

“Nah. I’m…” He wrinkled his nose. “You know how I am. Just keep ‘em save. Low profile on your way out of here would be swell. I would avoid Rivet City if you can help it.”

“Sure. Right. Thanks for… you know.”

“Yeah. Any time.”

Curie dug out a holotape from her pocket and passed it over. “Monsieur Deacon asked that I give this to you.”

“Oh, thanks, Papillion. We’ll make an agent outta you yet.” Ben gave her a little salute. “Take care of the MacCreadys for me, alright? They get into trouble easy.”

“I will.  _ Au revoir, _ Monsieur Morgan.”

Ben grinned at her and walked backward into the shadows. “Ah ha!  _ Au revoir _ but not goodbye! I knew you liked me,  _ bébé!” _ He pointed with both hands. “Gonna miss that voodoo that you do,  _ ma choupette!” _

Mac watched him fade into the darkness and shook his head. “Guy is nuts.” He glanced at Curie and couldn’t help but notice she was looking a little pinker than usual. “Aw, come on. Don’t tell me you fell for that crap.”

“He called me _ma_ _ choupette.” _

“What’s that mean?”

“Ah…” She frowned to herself, “It does not translate well.” When he just kept staring at her, she finally sighed. “Cabbage. It means 'my cabbage'.”

“Cabbage?” Really? That’s what got her going? He wondered if he’d have similar success calling Nora some kind of vegetable.

“I said it does not translate well!”

“Apparently.”

“It is like saying I am his favorite.”

“His favorite… cabbage?”

She scowled at him and pointed, “Your son. He is this way, yes? So let us go.”

Mac chuckled and let her stomp along ahead of him. “Yeah, let’s go.”

They soon found themselves staring at a solid rock wall. He would have immediately gone to put a bullet in a certain someone’s head, but Curie pointed up above them.

“Look. Pennants.”

Sure enough, there was a single string of faded plastic flags tied to one of the rocks. He considered it carefully and finally noticed a hat rack propped up against it on the left side. When he tried to move it, it wouldn’t budge a bit. Somebody had stuck it in concrete.

“I think this is supposed to be a handhold.”

“If your friends hid away here, they did a very good job. I would never have even noticed such a thing.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty ingenious.” He hoped. He really, really hoped this wasn’t just Ben screwing with him.

He hoisted himself up first and then pulled Curie after him. There was a surprisingly flat surface on the top of the boulder they’d previously been staring at. A few cautious steps and he heard the sound of metal being struck under his foot. A quick check with his Pipboy light revealed a hidden hatch driven right into the rock.

Curie helped him pry it open, but after the first few inches, it swung up easily. Some kind of spring arm helping take the weight. Thing didn’t even creak. Completely silent. Which meant somebody had to be oiling the hinges pretty often. There was a long, sturdy ladder that went down into a brightly lit cavern below and Mac actually smiled a little. Felt kinda like coming home to Lamplight in a way.

He was barely halfway down when a loud whisper made him stop and look over his shoulder.

“Mac! What’s with the hat, man?! I didn’t even recognize you! Almost blew your freakin’ head off!” Bryan was scowling up at him, his regular silenced hunting rifle thankfully pointed towards the floor.

“Sorry! I had to get a new one!” He whispered it back and made a face at him.

“Oh, right… probably should’ve seen that coming then. Well, come on down, but be quiet about it. He’s asleep already.”

“Okay!” His first impulse was to practically throw himself down the rest of the way, but knowing his luck, he’d fall and break his neck right here in the final minutes of his journey. He hurried along as fast as he could anyway and barely got turned around before Bryan had him in a bear hug, squeezing all the air from his lungs.

“Didn’t know if we’d ever see you again.”

He hugged him back and nodded, “Yeah, I heard things got interesting.”

“Interesting. Yeah, that’s a word for it.” He finally let him go and they both moved back so Curie could hop off the ladder. “And who’s this? The famous Nora?”

“Oh! That is so flattering!”

“Hey, nice accent.”

“No, Bryan. This is Curie. She’s a doctor and a friend. Curie, this is Bryan Wilks. Lucy kinda... adopted him as a little brother back when he was a kid.”

“Ah! I am familiar with adopting! I am Madame’s granddaughter by both science and adoption.”

“Madame?”

“She means Nora.” Mac sighed, “Curie, can we not --”

“Jeez, Mac, a  _ grandma? _ The way you wrote about her, I… shit. You’re really that into old ladies now?”

“No! She’s --”

“Madame is not old! Biologically, she is only thirty-one!”

He didn’t seem convinced, “I dunno. That’s… still kinda old.”

Curie huffed indignantly at him, “It is not! Madame is in her prime! Tell him, Mac!”

“Yeah, no, Nora’s… remember, I told you, she’s pre-war. Thirty-one in pre-war years is like… I dunno, twenty or something to us.”

This explanation just seemed to further incense Curie.  _ “Non! _ This is not true! Madame is exactly thirty-one years old and is in perfect condition! Both physically and mentally! Women do not even peak sexually until they are forty!”

_ “Curie!” _

_ “Vous voulez quoi?” _

Before he could explain for the umpteenth time that Nora’s sexuality was not to be a topic of conversation, Bryan shushed them both.

“Shh! You guys are gonna wake him!”

“Sorry.”  _ “Pardon.” _

“Jeez… I dunno how the two of you survived the road trip down here.”

“It was quite pleasant until we arrived at your former homestead. Mac’s attitude has steadily declined since then.”

He sighed, “Thanks, Curie.”

“I have already made a note of it in the log.”

“Of course you have.” He ignored the obvious question on Bryan’s face. “So… where is he? Can I see him?”

He chuckled, “Sure, you can see him. He’s your kid. Come on.”

He lead them further into the cave, past a fairly fancy couch with a bunch of playthings strewn about on the rug it sat on. Mac felt weirdly nervous, but the sight made him smile anyway. A lot of the toys were ones he recognized from the collection Nora had given him to send before Christmas. They’d set up a simple camp stove, too. Bucket in the corner. Shelf full of supplies.

Wasn’t exactly paradise but given the circumstances, it was pretty good.

There was a small turn at the end of the cave. Barely enough space for a bunk-bed to be wedged into it. Duncan was on the bottom bunk, thumb in his mouth and his arm wrapped around the bear Nora had originally intended to give to Shaun.

He’d almost forgotten how beautiful his own son was. So much of Lucy was in him though, so how could he not be? He looked like a little cherub or something. Those cute chubby cheeks and his wild hair all over the place.

"Oh, Mac. He is perfect. _Joli comme un cœur." _

“He looks good.” His eyes were wet and his voice wobbled but he still managed to croak it out. 

Bryan nodded, “He is good.That shot cleared him right up. Took a couple of days, but Doctor Preston said that was normal.”

“Doctor Preston… so that’s why you were in Rivet City.”

“Yeah. Charon thought… I mean, Luce was the medic. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing and it just seemed smart to take it to an expert. We would’ve just gone to Megaton, but Aunt Vera put us up for free, so, you know, it made sense at the time.”

“Right.”

“Coulda done with a little _warning_ about that other stuff though.”

There was real anger in his voice and Mac finally managed to drag his gaze away from his son to stare at his friend. “What?”

Bryan frowned at him and gestured for them to follow him back to the main living space, flopping down heavily on the couch when he got there. Mac joined him and was about to ask what had happened when he noticed Curie picking up toys.

“You don’t have to do that, Curie.”

“Nonsense. I was programmed for this very thing. Tidying up after children gives me great joy.”

“If you say so.”

“Programmed?”

“It’s a long story. So what was wrong with the Cabot serum?”

Curie immediately stood and the toys in her arms tumbled to the floor. “Cabot serum! No one told me this! You dosed a  _ child _ with it? What were you thinking?!”

Bryan threw a hand up. “Thank you!”

“What? What’s… wait, no, Jack and Nora both said it would be fine. The doses were small, so he’d --”

His friend snorted, “Yeah, did they tell you what it did?”

“Uh… it was supposed to help him with the atrophy or something? They said he’d be a little hyper or whatever after, but --”

“Hyper? That’s how they described it?”

“Um…” He tried to think back to that dinner months ago. “I think their exact words were that he’d get feisty? Maybe a little out of hand?”

Curie scoffed at him and went back to picking up toys, angrily muttering to herself.

“What am I missing here? What happened?”

Bryan sighed, “Alright, well… so we’re in Rivet City. About a week after we gave him the cure. He was still pretty weak and lethargic. Doctor Preston read all the instructions that came in that fancy case you sent and said it seemed pretty straight forward. That he’d never seen anything like it, but it looked legit. Duncan’s still got problems with needles, so I held him while he got his first dose.”

_ “Mon dieu.  _ You poor man!”

Mac looked over at Curie’s sudden exclamation but immediately prompted his friend. “And?”

“He threw me across the room, brother. Right into the bulkhead. Dented the hell out of it. Bit me, too. If I hadn’t had my jacket on, he’d have torn off half my arm.”

“What?!”

“Took off down the passageway. Knocked over little Diego and Seagrave. Took out a couple of guards. Charon caught up to him on the stairs and brought him back kicking and screaming.”

“Duncan did…  _ my _ Duncan?”

“Yes.  _ Your kid. _ Broke my damn leg, bruised the hell out of my back. It was like he was possessed or something.” He pointed at his oversized helmet. “Just goes to show, you never leave home without it.”

He stared at him in complete and utter shock. “My Duncan?” He just couldn’t get over the whole idea of it. His son had taken after his mother in the extreme. Wailing anytime a molerat got stomped in his presence or even if he saw the animal they were butchering for dinner while it still had eyes. He was one of the sweetest children Mac had ever encountered and there were days when it was hard to see himself in him at all. That bizarre outburst must have been what Ben had been talking about when he'd called him a scrapper. _ “My Duncan?” _

“Yes, dammit. Your Duncan.” Bryan rolled his eyes and continued, “Anyway! Doctor Preston gave him a sedative and we had to strap him down and all, but once he woke up, he was the same old sweetheart. No memory of any of it whatsoever. I got patched up and wanted to chuck the rest of the stuff in the river, but damn, man. That shit  _ works. _ He looked so much better from just that one dose. He could actually walk, Mac.  _ Walk. _ Not hobble, _actual walking._ It was a miracle. So we decided to keep at it. Brought him back home where he couldn’t hurt anybody and Charon held him for his doses after that. By the time we were finished with it, he was like a whole new kid. Fast, strong, happy. He could finally keep food down and just about ate his weight in yao guai every day. He’d even grown a few inches.” He seemed a little placated by the distressed expression on Mac’s face. “They really didn’t tell you anything?”

“Emogene or… somebody said something about him maybe getting out of hand, but… no. I… the Cabots are the smartest people I’ve ever met and none of them seemed concerned. I trusted them when they said it would be fine.” Not even Edward had hinted otherwise, which was pissing him off more than anything. He had far more sense than his employers. You’d have thought he’d at least have mentioned something.

Curie sniffed again from her spot on the floor. “The Cabots rely far too heavily on their precious serum. It is a menace.”

“You know about it?”

“I have studied it. It is… unusual. Madame would not tell me how it is cultivated, only that her cousin Jack makes it.” She scrunched up her face, “Which is the entire problem right there! Docteur Cabot is a psychologist by training and a scientist by hobby! He is not qualified for such things! Dosing a child! It is ridiculous! Completely unethical! I cannot believe Madame agreed to such a thing.”

“It was her idea.”

She stared at him dumbfounded. “Well… that is… a rare lapse in judgement from her. Although I suppose I can see her reasoning. Madame is quite… irrational at times when it comes to helping children. She will see to their welfare no matter the cost. Still… it is hard to believe that she could agree to such a thing.”

“Well, she’s never taken it, right? Maybe she didn’t know.”

“She_ has_ taken it!”

“Oh.”

She stared off into space for a moment, “Perhaps… perhaps it reacts differently for those outside the Cabot line? There is a lot of genetic code within the serum itself. It is possible that those outside the family could have a more severe reaction. Maybe.”

That sounded like pure rationalization to him, but Mac nodded along anyway. “Sure. That’s probably it.” He was pretty sure it was more her blind faith in Jack that had inspired this bit of madness. He was still angry about it, but he couldn’t really fault her for trusting her family.

“So you really didn’t know, huh? Well, that might buy you some points back from Charon. He was _pissed.”_

Mac winced, “How bad was it?”

“Had that _super cranky_ look on his face for a week at least.”

“Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s cool. I mean, I kinda thought you were a jerk for not sending it with a warning label or anything, but it’s fine. Not on you. Anyway, the stuff’s gone now. Thank God. So long as we can keep Duncan under the radar, we should be golden.”

“Duncan under the radar? Who’s radar?”

“Brotherhood.”

“What do the Brotherhood want with Duncan?”

Bryan gave him a wry look, “Come on, man. You know what they want. They want that stuff. I dunno who, but somebody ratted us out in Rivet City. They showed up a few weeks ago and demanded the serum. I told ‘em we didn’t know what they were talking about but they said they had witnesses. So I told them the truth. That it had been sent from Boston for the kid and now it was all gone. Then they asked if I was his father.” He shook his head, “I shoulda said yes, but I didn’t. Told ‘em we were looking after him for you. They said they’d assume custody until you came home. Like they were doin' us this big favor.”

“Then what?”

“Charon disagreed.”

“Oh, man.”

“Yeah. Fight started. I grabbed Duncan and took off. Ben caught me out by the barn, said he knew a place we could lay low. Said Charon knew the way. Then he jumped into the fray like he always does. Next thing I knew, Charon had me by the arm and lead us here.”

Mac frowned, “Why was Ben there in the first place?”

“Who knows, man? He goes where the wind takes him nowadays. You know that.” He frowned thoughtfully. “He’s getting worse, actually. I dunno if you've ever noticed . Ever since Sarah…”

“I know.”

“Yeah, well… anyway, it was lucky for us. I’m guessing you went there first, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Was anything left?”

“Mostly ash. Barn’s still sort of there.”

“Jesus. Ben must have gone nuts on them. That had to have been scary for you to see after coming all this way. I told Charon we should leave a sign or something but he said it was a bad idea.”

“Ben was waiting for us.”

He nodded, “Well… probably the best person to do it. Gave him something to focus on for a while anyway. And it’s not like he has a solid handle on reality anymore. Who knows, maybe it only felt like a few hours to him? Half the time I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m still that eight year old kid he found wandering the wastes.”

“Monsieur Morgan fought them off? I thought he was with the Brotherhood.”

“Once upon a time, maybe. Anyway, I’m pretty sure it was mostly Outcast jagoffs that were there. He hates those bastards. Always has. When Maxson brought them back into the fold, that’s when Ben finally walked away. That was… four or five years ago, maybe?”

“Outcasts?”

“The Brotherhood had a civil war here a while ago. The losing side was called the Outcasts.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah, Maxson left most of them here when he went north. Nice of him.” Bryan rolled his eyes, “They’re the worst. Absolute dicks. Every one of them. Always hassling people. Can’t just let a man make an honest living.”

Mac chuckled, “You’re still on their most wanted list for breaking into their little fort they had, right?”

“Hey, I didn’t break into anything that wasn’t already abandoned, alright? It’s not my fault they left behind a bunch of juicy equipment.”

There was a sudden breeze that had them all turning to the ladder. A partially butchered radstag was tossed down and Bryan grinned when it hit the floor.

“Oh, look. Charon’s home. Now you’re really gonna get it.”

He laughed but there was more than a little fear squirming in his gut. It was hard on the best of days to get a feel for the ghoul’s emotions. He’d always preferred Lucy, Mac at least knew that. And ever since his little episode where Charon had to save his ass and drag him home, he’d worried the man saw him as less than worthless.

It was impossible to tell though, was the thing, and he sure as shit wasn’t about to ask.

Curie stood and smiled brightly as the ghoul finally reached the bottom of the ladder and Mac followed after. His eyes, that milky blue shared by a lot of prewar ghouls, immediately pinned Mac in place right up until Curie bounced up and held out her hand.

“Hello, Monsieur Charon! I am Mac’s friend, Curie. I have heard so many wonderful things about you on our journey from Boston. Thank you for taking such wonderful care of Duncan. I am sure we will be great friends!”

He stared her down for a few seconds and then finally unfolded his arms and accepted her handshake. “Charmed.”

She enthusiastically shook his hand. “You are very tall! It is most impressive! But I am sure people tell you that all the time.”

“Not really.”

“Ah… well, it is true. You do not happen to know your height in centimeters do you? For my log?”

“No.”

“Oh. Too bad. Perhaps later I can take a few measurements?”

“Uh…”

Mac cleared his throat, “Curie, it’s kinda rude to just ask strangers if you can do that.”

“We are not strangers! We are going to be fast friends. I can already tell. I like him very much!”

“Uh huh.” He nudged her over a little and held out his own hand but Charon had already turned away and was now working on dragging the radstag across the floor to be hung over the drain by the stove. He let his hand fall back to his side and sighed. “Hey, Charon.”

A grunt of sorts came from the ghoul and Mac nodded to himself. Yup. Definitely still on the shit list.

Bryan snickered from the couch but seemed to take pity on him, as he always did. “It’s cool, Charon. He didn’t know that stuff had a kick.”

He glanced over at the teenager and frowned, “He did not.”

“Nah.”

“Mmm.”

The last murmur didn’t sound quite as irritated, so he eased up to him. “Hey, I’m really sorry, man. I really am. If I’d known the serum would do all that, I’d have told them to stuff it. I’m sorry for all the trouble you guys have been through.”

“You were gone a year.”

Okay, so he was forgiven for Duncan suddenly morphing into a tiny Grognak, but not how long it took to get to get back to them. That was more than fair. He could work with that. “I know.”

He finally spared him a glance and it was not kind, “Get stuck under another yao guai?”

Oh. So he knew. Well, of course he knew. Charon knew everything. “No. Not exactly.”

“Hmm.”

“I couldn’t crack Med-Tek. Not on my own. Took a while to meet the right person to help.”

“Nora.”

“Right. Right, so, you read my letters? I think you’d really like her. She’s smart and super nice. Really focused and I think she'll be good for --”

“Were you looking for her all that time or did you just give up again?”

Shame crawled up his throat and his eyes suddenly flooded with tears. Mac couldn’t meet his gaze anymore and stared down, shaking his head. “I gave up for… a while. I didn’t know what to do and I gave up.”

He sighed, “You never do ask for help.”

“I know.”

“Pride is a weakness.”

He almost laughed, “Well, I don’t have a lot of that left. Trust me.”

“Hmm… so Nora was the one who had to pick you back up this time? That it?”

“No, my friends Daisy and Hancock did. Nora didn’t know me back then. I’d heard about her but she’s kind of… you know, kind of a big deal? Always in the paper. Always out doing good and saving the day and whatever.” He shrugged, “She’s a hero up there. I never even thought about asking her cause I didn’t think somebody like me would matter to somebody like that.”

“But you do.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do. She’s…” He was suddenly very aware of how still and quiet both Bryan and Curie were being on the couch. Eavesdropping little bastards. Mac shuffled a little closer and lowered his voice, “She’s already asked me to marry her. As soon as Duncan gets to know her, I’m going to.”

“You said she had a kid but lost ‘im.”

“Yeah, but she uh… she got him back. His name’s Shaun. He’s a great kid.”

“She a good mother to him?”

“The best. She’s… Lucy would’ve loved her. I wouldn’t be with her if…”

“If you did not think she would approve.”

“Right.”

“Hmm.”

“I wish you could meet her. I know she’d love to --”

“We will meet her when we get there.”

“Oh.” Mac stared at him and then over at Bryan and raised his voice just a little. “You’re coming with us?”

Bryan grinned, “Course we are. According to your letters, the Commonwealth is a freaking paradise compared to this dump. Your old lady runs the joint, right? I figure I got an in there. She’d probably be cool turning a blind eye to my operations.”

“Nora would probably hire you, actually. She’s always building… well, I don’t even know. Her and Shaun build stuff that’s beyond me all the time. So she’d either hire you as her personal scavver or at the very least be your best customer.”

“Heck yeah!”

Curie looked troubled, “But Maxson… the Brotherhood are there. Elder Maxson is quite interested in Madame. I would hate for poor little Duncan to go all that way only to be --”

“That’s not happening.” Mac scowled. “Even if the Brotherhood can get through me, there is no way in hell they can get through Nora. She’ll blow the Prydwen out of the sky before she’d let them take a kid.”

She sighed, “But that is the problem. There  _ are _ children aboard the Prydwen. That is the entire reason it is still in the air to begin with. Monsieur Deacon argued with her for months over blowing it up with the Minutemen’s artillery, but she refused.”

Bryan shook his head, “Toting little kids around in a warship. The man’s crazy.”

Venison successfully hung to drain, Charon washed his hands quickly and shrugged, “What will happen will happen. We will deal with it then.”

“At least we’d have more allies in Boston, right? I still can’t believe we got snitched on! When Aunt Vera finds out who it was, she’s gonna have Harkness toss them right off the ship.”

“Think she’d send us a holo of that?”

He snorted, “A holo and then some. I’ve never seen her so fired up.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen your aunt mad period.”

“A lady is always calm and reasonable. That’s what she always said… I guess that gets tossed out the window when it comes to snitchin' though.”

Curie nodded, “Madame is a perfect lady as well, but yes, she gets _quite_ upset at betrayals. I once watched her clear out an entire settlement after she discovered they were tricking people into staying there, kidnapping them in the night and then torturing them on suspicion of being synths. She said they violated both the letter and the spirit of the social contract behind being good hosts. That they were _very_ rude. She absolutely abhors impolite behavior.”

Bryan snorted and turned to look at Mac, “And she’s somehow with you, huh? Good luck, man. Better hope you mind your manners  _ hard.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is a quote from the movie Brigadoon.
> 
> Rockopolis was always a favorite place of mine in the Capitol Wasteland. If they ever did a remake of it in FO4's engine, I think it would make the coolest player home ever.
> 
> Also, for those who don't know, the Ivy League has/had a 'female' counterpart called the Seven Sisters. Yale's 'sister' is Vassar. Most of the colleges are now co-ed. I think one of them got absorbed into their 'brother' school. Radcliffe, maybe? Idk.
> 
> (PS: The 'women peak at 40' thing is an old Kinsey institute reference. It's debatable if that's true or not because individuals are all unique, but Curie would have had that information in her data banks if she was supposed to keep tabs on her Vault's breeding practices and such.)


	14. Soda and Spice and Everything Nice

_ May 12th, 2289 _

_ Rockopolis _

Waking up to bright, floating orbs above him was a little disorienting. As irritated as it made him, his first thought was ‘aliens’, but the more he blinked, the more it came into focus. Just the ornate globed chandelier that, if legend were true, the former inhabitants had set up here in the years before Herbert ‘Daring’ Dashwood came and ruined everything with his bumbling. Mac squinted at them and waited for his brain to wake up enough to make sense of the situation. It finally came back to him all at once. The homestead. Ben. The journey west. Finding his family again.

Rockopolis.

He sat up and rubbed the sand out of his eyes. Bryan was still asleep on the couch next to him, the ever present helmet still on his head. He chuckled to himself at the sight. Lucy had tried for years to get him to at least take it off at night, but to no avail. It couldn’t possibly be comfortable but on the other hand, mirelurks never looked comfortable in their shells and yet somehow they still slept.

Mac looked around but didn’t see Charon. Not that he’d expected to. Ghouls technically didn’t require sleep and while some ghouls, like Hancock, indulged anyway, Charon had never been the indulgent type. He was no doubt off hunting or securing the perimeter or whatever it was he did when no one was looking.

Getting up off the cold rocky floor took some doing and he tried to keep his groaning to a minimum as he popped his back. His knees were killing him, too and it took him a minute to remember he’d jumped off that concrete pylon the day before. He wasn’t sure how far of a fall you had to go to actually break something, but almost ten feet was enough to nearly blow out his knees, that was for damn sure. He filed the information away for the next time he had to do something so stupid and shuffled over towards the end of the small cave.

Curie was curled up on the top bunk. Usually Bryan camped there, but he’d insisted she take it. Those manners his aunt had hammered into him wouldn’t allow for a lady to take the couch, apparently, but Mac sleeping on the floor was perfectly fine. He wasn’t a lady and he technically wasn’t a guest, so he didn’t warrant the same consideration Curie did.

Duncan was still asleep beneath her. He’d shifted onto his belly in the night, legs folded up under him. Mac smiled at the sight and tucked his blanket a little tighter around him. He’d been sleeping like that since he could roll over. Lucy always swore he had slept that way as a kid himself but he couldn’t remember that far back.

Having nothing else to do, Mac got coffee started. His watch said it was barely six, which he knew was early for Bryan, but he was ready to leave yesterday. Before yesterday even. They needed to get packed up, organized, resupplied and then hit the road as soon as possible.

The Brotherhood hunting Duncan was terrifying. He couldn’t imagine their intentions were good there. At the very least, they’d want to run endless tests and crap on him and Mac wasn’t having that. He’d already seen firsthand what could happen to a kid who grew up being somebody’s science project.

It would have to be dealt with, one way or the other, at some point. Even if they managed to get out of the Capitol Wasteland undetected, the Brotherhood were camped out all over Boston. If Maxson had signed off on this, there’d inevitably be a standoff. It’s not like he was known for just letting shit go.

Too bad for him Nora wasn’t known for that herself. In a battle of sheer willpower over the life of a child, he had no doubt who the victor would be. The problem was he still didn’t know exactly what the condition of the Minutemen’s standing army was since the fall of the Institute. They’d no doubt lost people, and the Brotherhood hadn’t done anything but sit on their asses and do field exercises in the year since they’d arrived. They were fresh, well trained and their cavalry was nothing to sneeze at. The Minutemen had artillery and a home field advantage, but as dumb as he personally found Maxson, he knew he’d been educated extensively in warfare. Nora had her deep love of American history to draw from as far as strategy went, but would that really be enough against a fully militarized people like the BOS?

Mac watched the coffee starting to bubble in the percolator and frowned thoughtfully. Nora still had five more years as the Minutemen general. He didn’t want to spend those years at war. The whole point of bringing Duncan north was so he could have a better, more stable life. Growing up in the middle of a battlefield wasn’t going to be good for him.

Would she be okay with maybe relocating further? Letting Preston and Ronnie take the reins while they hid in a place like Far Harbor and waited it all out? He sighed and wrinkled his nose at the idea almost as soon as it formed. No. There was no way she’d just abandon the Commonwealth after losing so much to save it from the Institute. She also had all those projects and the civilization building and whatever. Nora would no doubt dig in and push them back to the last man, no matter how long it took. Probably try to get all bossy and send him off with the boys somewhere safe and…

Mac started suddenly. There was someone tugging on his pants pocket.

He stared down into the soft hazel eyes he’d known his whole life and smiled. “Hey, buddy.”

Duncan blinked up at him, mouth slightly slack around his thumb. Then he patted his leg a few more times in an experimental sort of way.

Mac chuckled and knelt down. “It’s not a dream. I’m back. Do you remember me?”

“Daddy.”

“Yeah. It’s Daddy.” He set a hand on his head, “I missed you. Did you miss me?”

“Yes.” His lisp wasn’t as pronounced as it had once been, but he was still clearly a kid of few words. That had always been fine with him. Most people talked too much anyway.

“Uncle Bryan and Charon treat you alright while I was gone?” He waited for the nod and nodded in return. “Good. That’s good.”

His son edged a little closer and Mac waited for him to set his head against his chest before finally wrapping his arms around him and squeezing like he wanted. Duncan had always been a cuddlebug, but almost never with him. Lucy had always handled that, or Bryan if he were around. Mac had always worried over getting him dirty. Too covered in blood and the pervasive filth of the wastes to be worthy of a love so unconditional and gentle.

But that was the old him.

The new him hugged his son as tightly as he possibly could and would have held on forever if he hadn’t eventually pushed back and shook his stuffed animal at him.

“Got a bear.”

He laughed. Tender moment over, apparently. “Wow! He’s pretty cool!”

“Santa.”

“Whoa, Santa brought him? That’s crazy! You must have been  _ really _ good, huh? Santa never came for me when I was a kid. Your bear got a name?”

“Red.”

“Red? Like Aunt Red?” She’d been the resident doc in Lamplight before Lucy had taken over. An honorary big sister to countless kids. Sarcastic, smart, caring in a rough sort of way. As far as Mac knew, she was still running the clinic in Big Town.

“Yup.”

“Neat.”

Duncan turned a little and pointed back at his bed. “Lady.”

“Yeah, that’s Curie. She’s a friend of mine. Came a long way to meet you, so be nice, okay? She’s a little funny.”

“‘Kay.”

Bryan sat up with a groan and blinked blearily at them before scowling. “Aw, man. I missed the big reunion.”

“Early bird gets the worm, Bry.”

He stuck his tongue out and then smiled at Duncan, “Whatcha think of Daddy’s hat, huh? Pretty goofy, right?”

“It is not goofy!” Mac stood and swept Duncan up with him to go sit on the couch. “Anyway, that’s big talk from a guy in a helmet three sizes too big for your little pea brain.” He barely got sat down when Duncan squirmed away from him and started digging through an open footlocker by his bed. “What are you looking for, bud?”

He triumphantly returned with Mac’s old hat and put it on his head. “Got a hat.” The only thing keeping it from falling over his eyes was his own naturally fluffy hair and Mac chuckled.

“That’s a dang fine hat, kiddo. It’s been through a lot. Wear it with pride.”

Bryan laughed at the way Duncan puffed up, “So you never did say, what’s with the cowboy hat anyhow?”

“It’s not a cowboy hat. It’s a Minutemen hat. I’m a Minutemen now.”

“I thought you said they were all idiots.”

“Well at least one of them isn’t.” He tapped his brim. Duncan climbed back up into his lap and he smiled at him. “Two, actually, now that I’m thinking about it. Nora’s definitely not an idiot, either.”

“So you got a rank or something? Or is being the general’s boyfriend an official title?”

“Sargent first class.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means I’m in charge of security in Sanctuary when we’re there and when we’re not, I’m the general’s private bodyguard.”

“Uh huh.” Bryan waggled his eyebrows at him.

“It’s a legit job.”

“Sure it is.”

“Could you not disrespect me in front of my own son? Huh? Is that too much to ask?”

“Psh, he’s used to it by now.”

_ “Oh!” _

They turned and stared at a slightly disgruntled looking Curie.

“I missed it! Madame will be so disappointed!”

“I missed it, too, Curie. Don’t feel bad.”

“But I promised to get a picture!”

Mac shrugged, “We can recreate it later and you can still get your picture.”

She pouted, “But it will not be authentic.”

Oh, God. Not the pouting. “Anyway! Good morning, Curie! This is my son, Duncan. Dunk, this is my super good friend, Curie. She’s cool.”

“How nice of you to say so!” Pouting temporarily abandoned, she came over and smiled at Duncan. “It is so wonderful to finally meet you!  _ Ton papa _ has talked of nothing else since we left Boston.”

_ “Ton papa.” _

“Ah! What perfect pronunciation!” She knelt down and hung from the back of the couch, staring with that laser focus on his mouth.  _ “Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq!  _ Please repeat.”

_ “Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq.” _

She clapped,  _ “Parfait! _ Oh, Mac. He is a natural. I will teach him French.”

“I dunno if --”

“I am already helping to teach Shaun. It will be no trouble.” She turned her attention back to Duncan. “Would you like that,  _ mon loulou? _ Special lessons with your Curie?” He nodded and her smile went up about fifty watts.  _ “Bon! _ We will begin on the walk home! There are many songs I am sure you would love. Madame will be very impressed! She will love you at first sight.”

“Madame?”

“She means Nora, kiddo. You remember we talked about Daddy’s special friend?” Bryan waited for Duncan to nod. “Okay, well, she goes by Madame sometimes, too, I guess.”

“You talked about her? What did you talk about?” Mac wasn’t entirely sure he was okay with the idea of Charon and Bryan trying to explain what ‘special friend’ meant.

“That you have a special lady friend named Nora who is in charge of the whole Commonwealth and you’re all going to live together in Sanctuary. That was pretty much it.”

“Oh.” Better than what he’d thought he’d have to deal with anyway. “Yeah, that’s right. And she’s really nice and… actually, hey, Curie, can you hand me Duncan’s present? We can show them what we’re talking about.”

“Ah!  _ Oui! _ I am so excited! I have not yet seen the pictures!”

“Pictures?” Bryan scooted over so she could sit between them and grinned at Mac. “Dang. Guess she’s not imaginary after all, huh? I owe Charon ten caps now.”

“Why would she be imaginary?”

He snorted, “You should’ve read the way he wrote about her. ‘Nora’s  _ so _ amazing!’ ‘Nora’s  _ so _ smart!’ ‘She’s even cooler than Sarah Lyons was!’ Blah blah blah.”

Curie frowned slightly, “Madame is extraordinary. How else is he to describe her?” She sat with the small pack in her lap and returned to ignoring the two men, preferring to focus solely on Duncan now that he was awake. “Now then,  _ mon cher, _ Madame and her son, Shaun, are so very excited to meet you! They asked that we give these treasures to you as a token of their friendship. Very kind. Shall I open it?”

Duncan nodded and she nodded in return.

_ “C’est bon. _ Let us see what...ah!” She pulled out a newly bound book and presented it to him.  _ “Le lapin de velours! _ Or, in English,  _ The Velveteen Rabbit. _ Shaun’s favorite book by far. For you and  _ ton papa  _ to read together!”

He took the book and opened it. “Bunny.”

“Correct!  _ Lapin _ means rabbit! What a clever boy you are!  _ The Velveteen Rabbit _ is a lovely story of a stuffed rabbit who becomes real through love. Quite touching.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, such a polite little gentleman. You are welcome, darling! Let’s see, next we have… ah! Crayons and a new sketchbook for  _ le petit artiste.” _ She passed it to him and smiled. “Madame and Shaun are great admirers of your work! They have many of your drawings on the refrigerator at home.”

“Really?”

_ “Oui! _ Everyone agrees you are quite talented. I believe Monsieur Codsworth enjoys them as well.”

“Codsworth?”

“Madame’s personal Mister Handy. He is also looking forward to meeting you!”

Mac helped him stack his loot and nodded, “Yeah, he’s pretty cool. He makes really, really good food. You’re gonna love him.”

“A robot?”

“Yup. We live with a robot.”

“Wow.”

“Right? It’s pretty neat.”

Bryan made a face, “Pretty swank is what it is. This chick of yours is flush, huh?”

“He was her robot from before the war. It’s not like she bought him today.”

“Weren’t they even more expensive pre-war?”

Curie waved a hand, “Codsworth is a standard model Mister Handy with a few accessory packages added. I would be surprised if he were more than one hundred twenty or one hundred fifty thousand dollars --”

“Jesus!”

“-- of course the special license required by the government was quite expensive, as was the private insurance but I do not have information on how much that would have cost and it would be very impolite to ask at this point.”

“Right. Yeah.”

“Anyway! Now for the  _ pièce de résistance!” _ She pulled out the photo album and held it up. “Ta da! A lovely album of our wonderful home! Shaun took the photos and Monsieur Deacon helped with the development of the pictures! Truly a group effort.”

Mac held his hand out for it and traded her for the small stack he was still holding. “I didn’t know Deacon helped.”

“He said he wanted to be sure it was done correctly. That little Duncan deserved only our best efforts.”

“Huh.” Surprisingly helpful for once, but the agent did seem particularly fond of kids so maybe it wasn’t a stretch that he’d want to help out in some small way. “Okay, kiddo, you ready to see your new home?”

Duncan nodded and opened the cover. The first picture was a group shot of nearly every resident by the old bridge. They were all waving and smiling, even sour old Marcy.

“See? That’s everybody. Sturges and the Longs, old Mama Murphy, Cait, Deacon…”

Curie leaned over and pointed, “Look! I am there, too!”

Bryan leaned with her, a carefully neutral look on his face. “Oh, uh… you live there, too, huh?”

_ “Oui! _ My home is in the hospital where I am the chief resident physician. Of course, sometimes my duties take me elsewhere, but most days I am happily working in my office.”

“That’s uh… that’s good to know.”

Mac glared at him over both her and Duncan’s heads. “Oh, yeah? Why is that good to know, Bry?”

The slow smirk on his face was nothing but trouble, “Sometimes my elbow pops funny. Be good to have a qualified doc around to check it out from time to time.”

“Oh! You are in pain?”

He pouted at her, “It’s terrible. Sometimes I can’t even sleep.”

“Oh, my. Do not worry. I have many things to help with that!”

“I bet you do.”

Mac cleared his throat and pointed out the next picture, “See that? That’s the old Minutemen statue from way before the war. It’s got this fancy plaque and stuff. It’s a very historical kinda place to live… and it’s actually an island! So that’s neat, right?”

Duncan nodded and turned the page. “Neat.”

“Yeah.” He gave Bryan one more warning glare and turned his attention back to the book. “There’s Dogmeat. That’s Nora’s pup. Sanctuary has a lot of animals, but he’s kinda in charge of them all. He helps keep everybody safe. He’s really tough, too. I heard one time he took down a super mutant all on his own.”

“Wow.”

“I know. It’s crazy… and speaking of super mutants.” He pointed at Strong’s single picture, the mutant’s face was even more aggravated than usual. He must not have understood the point of the camera. “That’s my friend, Strong. He does a lot of the hunting for Sanctuary. He likes to be read to and Nora even taught him to dance at Christmas. It was pretty funny.”

They got through a few more pages before there was finally a picture of Nora. Her covered in kittens in the barn, a fist in Dogmeat’s furr, the dog clearly overexcited if his blur of a tail was any indication, and a restraining hand on a not very happy mama cat puffed up in her lap.

“That’s Nora doing… well, doing what she does, I guess. Keeping the peace.”

“Oh, look! There is my sweet Marmalade!” Curie pointed at the orange kitten darting between Dogmeat’s paws. “He keeps my office free from naughty mice. A very good kitty. He will be quite the tomcat by the time we are home!”

“Yeah, all of Cheeser’s kittens turned out to be good mousers. Must be in the genes.”

Duncan leaned way, way in and studied the picture. “She looks nice.”

“She is nice.”

“Can I have a cat?”

Mac laughed, “That’s exactly what Shaun asked. The short answer is yes, of course you can.”

Bryan got up so he could look over Mac’s shoulder at the picture, “What’s the long answer?”

“The long answer is you might have to wait for the next batch of kittens. Cheeser’s offspring are always quick to get adopted.”

“So that’s your girl, huh?”

“That’s her.”

“Hmm.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m reserving judgement until I see a few more pictures.”

“Uh-huh.”

The opening of the hatch above them meant a tense few seconds for the adults, who all relaxed only after seeing Charon climbing down the ladder.

Bryan stood, “Hey, Charon! Come check out these photos. Mac’s got a whole album of where we’re gonna live.”

“Hmm.” He set his rifle against the rocky wall and came over. “Saw Ben.”

“He’s still hanging around?”

“Says he has business with the doc.”

Curie groaned,  _ “Non, c’est impossible.” _

“Sorry, Curie.”

She sniffed, “Well, he will have to come to me. I refuse to chase such a man.”

“Atta girl.” Mac flipped the page, “Oh, here’s a better one of Nora. See? That’s her and her best friend, Deacon. He got really hurt when we had to fight some bad guys so he’s in the hospital right now.” He pointed to the ever present synth in the corner of Deacon’s hospital room watching over them playing cards. “That’s uh… well, that’s X6. He’s a synth. He’s Nora’s friend, too.”

Charon’s permanent scowl seemed to intensify just a little, or maybe that was just Mac’s imagination. “I know of Deacon.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“This Nora is best friends with such a person?”

He winced a little at the condemnation in the ghoul’s voice. “Yeah, but it’s… I mean, I agree with you. I think it’s an odd choice myself, but I guess he was there for her when nobody else was so it’s like… uh…”

“Trauma bonding.”

He glanced at Curie, “Trauma bonding?”

_ “Oui. _ When someone makes an emotional connection with someone due to shared trauma. This is the only explanation I will accept for their relationship. Madame usually has excellent taste in friends. Monsieur Deacon is an… exception. Although, I will say, he is generally on his best behavior in her presence.”

“That’s true. He definitely at least  _ pretends _ to be a stand up guy around her.”

“He is also quite kind and charming around Shaun.”

“Yeah… well, Shaun’s like a mini-Nora so there you go.”

“This is true.”

Charon took the book and squinted at the picture. “She looks familiar.”

Shit. “Probably just has one of those faces.”

“No. She is the girl on the posters.”

Shit shit shit. “Posters? What posters?” Goddammit. He’d never mentioned the Nuka Cadet stuff in any of his letters back home. He’d wanted his family to get to know her before learning that bizarre little piece of her history and it took most people at least a few weeks to realize where they’d seen her face before. Of course, Charon had always been extraordinarily observant.

Bryan frowned down at the book. “Hey, yeah. I know that face.”

“Um…”

“You got a picture in here with her hat? She wears some goofy hat, right?”

“What?”

“The girl on the posters has a goofy hat.” He took the album from Charon and flipped through a few pages. “Aha! I knew it! That’s totally her!” He turned it around and jabbed his finger at a picture of Nora in her uniform with Preston at her side. “It’s her!”

“Okay, look, things were different pre-war and --”

“That's Maxson’s bride!”

  
  


_ May 12th, 2289 (3 days as Overboss) _

_ Nuka World Amusement Park, west of Boston _

“Miss Petrovita, was it?”

“Oh, gosh! Please, call me Sierra!”

“Sierra, then.”

“I can’t believe I’m really meeting the real Nuka Cadet!”

Nora sighed, “Yes, that’s --”

“So you were put on ice, huh? Just like a Nuka Cola!”

Deacon snickered.

“Yes, I was.”

“Wow! That’s --”   


“Miss Sierra! Please. Are you here of your own free will or not?”

The bubbly blonde in the funny Cappy glasses beamed at her. “Well of course I am, silly! Who wouldn’t want to come here?!”

“And no one has tried forcing you to stay?”

She scoffed, “No! If anything, a bunch of them keep trying to get me to leave.”

There was another snicker from behind her which she ignored. “It doesn’t make you uncomfortable being around so many raiders?”

“Is that what they are?” She raised up her glasses enough to get a good look at the dozens of raiders around them. “Huh. I guess I hadn’t noticed.”

“You hadn’t noticed.”

“Nope. Hey, I don’t suppose you know where all the hidden Cappys are, do you?”

“No, I’m afraid I don’t.”

“But you’re the Nuka Cadet!”

“The only people who knew the location of all ten Cappys were the people who set up the contest and Mr. Bradberton.”

“Oh. Dang. I was kinda hoping you could give me some insider knowledge. I’m just  _ dying  _ to know what’s in Bradberton’s office!”

“Okay, but, honey, you do realize how dangerous this place is, right? I really don’t think a lady such as yourself should just be wandering around here.”

She grinned, “Wow, you’re just as nice as I always thought you’d be. But you don’t need to worry! I can handle myself!”

Deacon nudged her arm, “Boss. Come on.”

Nora sighed again, “Alright, I’m just… Miss Sierra, please come see me if you have any troubles in the park, okay?”

“Okay! Thanks, Cadet!” She saluted them both and went back to her search.

“That poor woman’s gonna get herself killed.”

“Eh. She’s chasing her dream, right? There are worse ways to go.”

“I don’t think the Operators even notice her, but those awful Disciples…”

“I know.” He frowned thoughtfully as they continued down the park’s main promenade. “Okay, the way I see it, you’ve got two options for saving her.”

“Okay.”

“Option one, you psych yourself up  _ real _ good and go toe to toe with Nisha.”

Nora glanced at him from over her shoulder, staring at him like he was crazy. “You want me to try and fight  _ that.” _

“Nah, I’m --”

“I don’t even think Hancock can match her in a knife fight.”

“No, he definitely can’t. He still has a healthy fear of death, like a normal person. Nisha’s not… normal.”

“So… fight her verbally?”

He shrugged, “You’ve got the advantage as far as brains and vocabulary go. I think if you could get scary enough, you’d pull it off.”

She huffed and turned back around, scowling. “I’m already at peak scary. I don’t know how to get any scarier than this.”

“Okay, so option two.”

“Which is?”

“You hunt down all those stupid Cappys and win the contest for her so she’ll go home.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

“I know.”

“This place is ridiculous.”

“Yup… how are your feet holding up?”

She’d been deliberately ignoring the pain radiating from her arches but his words forced her to acknowledge it with a wince. “They hurt.”

“Well, you look  _ amazing. _ I can’t even believe you can walk in heels like that.  _ I _ couldn’t walk in heels like that.”

“These boots weren’t made for actual walking. They’re just props...and they’re  _ killing _ me.”

“We could always hook you up with a palanquin. Get a few unfortunate raiders to carry you around in style.”

Like people didn’t already stare at her enough here. “No, thank you. I’ll manage.”

“Could be good for your rep.”

“I’m already compromising my morals enough for that. Let's not add indentured servitude on top of it.”

Since arriving in Nuka World and learning about the park and its gangs from Gage, Deacon had insisted they stay on the same schedule. Strut around in her old Nuka Cadet uniform in the morning, find some idiot and goad them into a fight so everyone remembered she wasn’t just a pretty face, then head for one of the outlaying parks and work on clearing it. The former Overboss had promised his gangs more territory and making good on that promise was a good way to endear herself to their leadership, which was a good way to keep them both alive.

It made sense and all, she just hated wearing the stupid outfit. Thing barely even fit her anymore. She changed into regular clothes for the real work taking down whatever was nesting in the parks, but the few hours she had to spend in it every day was about as close to hell as she ever hoped to get.

At least she’d been able to talk Deacon out of dyeing her hair. And at least Mac would never,  _ ever _ have to see her this way. By her calculations, he should just now be reaching the Capitol Wasteland. She had plenty of time to get this done and put it behind her before he came home. By the time he did, this would all just be another silly story to tell him. Hopefully when he was extremely relaxed and happy with her so he wouldn’t think about the reality of the situation and lose his mind.

Definitely a pillow talk story. No question.

“It’s Pack today, right?”

“Right. Gage says they’re technically the weakest gang, but they’re also the most physical. If somebody’s gonna challenge you, it’ll be here, so be ready.”

_ “You _ be ready. I dunno how you expect me to fight in this get up.”

“Beautifully. Like you always do.”

“Flattery doesn’t work on me, honey. You know that.”

“It’s gonna. Some day. I just have to find the right compliment and then you’ll be putty in my hands.”

“M’hmm.” The raiders in this place all seemed to run together for her, but she was noticing a lot more color the further into Pack territory they got. “Big into makeup around here.”

“Yeah, from what I’ve heard so far, they really buy into this whole animal pack schtick. I guess the markings show difference allegiances or something? Or maybe they’re different critters? Hard to say.”

“Looks like clown paint. I guess they found the old dressing rooms.”

“Well don’t let them hear you say that. They’ve all got a big chip on their shoulders because the other two gangs don’t take them seriously.”

“Why not?”

“Besides all the make-believe, you mean? I guess they’re theoretically softer than the others. They take care of their own, don’t allow for lethal violence among the members, that kinda thing. Even when Mason took over, he didn’t kill the former Alpha. Just had him tarred and feathered.”

She stopped. “Tarred and feathered?”

“Yup.”

_ “Literally?” _

“Yup.”

“Good lord.”

They finally arrived at the gate and he nodded sociably at the guard before holding it open for her. “Remember. Bad ass space queen.”

“Right.”

“Showtime.”

She changed as walked in. The woman who appeared in the Bradberton Amphitheater for a face to face meeting with the Pack’s leader was a whole other person altogether. Cruel and cunning, arrogant and fearless. She didn’t even spare a glance at the poor animals trapped in cages, or the collared woman who was currently fighting what looked to be an actual gorilla with nothing but her bare hands. All around them, humans emulated wild animals. Some sunning themselves lazily, some tearing apart near raw meat with their teeth, some even copulating right out in the open.

Nora, as her regular self, would have stuck her head into a place like this, died a little inside, and then never returned. Ellie Jo, Overboss of Nuka World, dismissed it all with a sneering look and finally came to a stop in front of a red velvet throne that had once been the seat of whatever child was that show’s special guest for the hour, but now was home to the ass of Mason.

She folded her arms over her chest and glared up at him, “Last time I saw that chair, some spoiled brat had just pissed their pants sittin’ in it. Some things never change, huh?”

He looked her up and down and frowned a little harder. “Now that I get a closer look, not sure I’m buying this new Overboss thing.”

Nora tilted her head and murmured to herself just loud enough to be overheard. “Are you gonna be a good little puppy for me, or are you gonna be a problem I need to solve? I wonder...”

“Slow down there, boss-lady. We’re just gettin’ to know each other.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and then turned back to the amphitheater for a moment. “So are you gonna try to sniff my ass or pee on my leg? Cause I’ll tell you right now, I’ve killed far better men for less than that.”

He chuckled and stood. “Nah. I don’t take it that far. Name’s Mason. The Pack’s Alpha.”

“Current Alpha, right? I’ve heard y’all go through leaders like Gage goes through whiskey.”

“All you need to worry about is that I’m in charge. This is our side of town. You might be Overboss, for now, but I’m the Pack’s boss, and it’s gonna stay that way. Long as you don’t go forgetting that, we’re gonna be fine.”

For someone pretending to be an animal, he seemed to be the most judicious gang leader thus far. No overt threats, no snobbish disdain thrown her way. In other circumstances, she’d probably try to be reasonable and talk him down from all this nonsense.

“Y’all aren’t gonna cause any problems for me, are you?”

“The Pack does what I tell them. You don’t get in my way, they don’t get in yours.”

This was familiar somehow. He reminded her of someone. “Well, as long as you care about yourself, you'll do what I tell you, so we should all get along just fine then, huh?”

Another low chuckle and Mason sat back down. “Ha! You might make it out of here alive after all. Maybe you are the real deal, but then again, we thought Colter was the real deal, too. Now he’s laying in a pool of his own blood.” Mason cracked a smile at her sarcastic pouting at the mention of the dearly departed.

“Colter was weak. I dunno why any of y’all followed him in the first place.”

“Yeah… been wonderin’ that myself here lately. Jury’s still out on you, but ain't likely you're gonna be any worse than Colter.”

“Why didn’t you step up? Become Overboss yourself.”

“Me? Overboss? Nah. Seems to be a short-lived position. Although, if I thought the other gangs would go along, yeah, I'd run this place in a heartbeat. At least it wouldn't be Mags Black or that freak Nisha.”

“Not a fan of them personally, or you got a problem with a woman being in charge?”

“It’s personal with them. I ain’t opposed to... working under a woman.” He gave her a lecherous kind of smile so obvious that she would have picked up on it even without Deacon’s quiet signalling. “Maybe get to show you that firsthand someday.”

Her answering smile was a few hundred degrees chillier. “Maybe. Let's work together, Mason. I'm not interested in ruining your gig. Like recognizes like and all that. You seem like a man I can trust. The kinda man who gets things done, looks out for his own… it’s admirable. And I just love what you’ve done with the place.” She waved a hand at the chaos behind her. “So let’s be friendly, hmm? Bond over our mutual love of animals.”

“And our mutual hatred of knives and prissy little upstarts?”

“Absolutely.”

“Hmm… you know, I was expecting something a lot different for Colter’s replacement, but hey, I guess if Gage says you’re the boss, then you’re the boss.” He shrugged. “Who am I to argue?”   


“What were you expecting?”

“Not… you.”

“You should know better than anybody that appearances can be deceiving, honey.”

“Heh. Yeah. Look, let's cut to the chase. You going to do right by the Pack?”

She shrugged carelessly, “Sales pitch time, sugar. What's the Pack got over the other gangs?”

“The Pack are the meanest sons of bitches you'll ever meet. We do whatever it takes and we're fiercely loyal. The Operators will cut your throat as soon as they get what they want out of you. And the Disciples? Who the fuck knows what those crazy bitches want. There's something wrong with them. You just can't trust someone who ain't willing to show you their face.”

She almost laughed. He actually said it like he wasn’t wearing a full palette of face paint. “My intentions have been to treat all the gangs equally. I haven’t seen anything thus far to make me change my mind.”

“Okay, but it’s not gonna work. Ain't no two things in this world that's truly equal, boss. Everything has its place. One gang is gonna end up on top, and one on the bottom. It's a simple law of nature.”

Nora raised her chin and climbed the steps before placing her hands carefully on the arms of Mason’s throne and leaning into his space. Eye contact this close was impossible, so she lowered her gaze, knowing he’d misinterpret it as being coy. “Well, maybe if you’re a really good puppy, you’ll get to be on top. You’d like that, right?” She watched his hands flex on his thighs like he wanted to touch her and was grateful for Deacon’s ever-present shadow behind her. The bones of his yao guai necklace moved as he nodded and she nodded, too. “Good boy.” Nora stood back up and patted his head like a dog. “One last thing before I let you go, honey. Just so we’re clear, you better be a good dog and do what you're told, or you'll be put down.”

His eyes went a little wide, “Whoa there, boss.” Mason leaned forward and lowered his voice, “Not in front of my guys, alright? You got enough to worry about without a dominance struggle inside the Pack to deal with.”

A pouty smile borrowed from Magnolia whenever she had to turn down an overeager admirer appeared on her face. “But puppy, aren’t  _ you _ Alpha? Who on God’s green earth would be dumb enough to challenge such a fearsome beast?”

She gave him one last pat and left him there, confused and, if Deacon’s quiet snickering behind her was any indication, visibly aroused.

Weaponized femininity had never been her area of expertise. That was always Emmy’s thing. It felt dishonest and cruel to lead someone on when you had every intention of eventually murdering them, but her role here was what it was. Sex appeal was what the Nuka Cadet was all about, even before the war. She had to use whatever she had at her disposal to survive and dismantle this terrible place.

At least Mac would never have to see her this way. If she had it her way, he’d never know at all, but she knew she’d have to tell him some of it. Maybe she could just gloss over stuff a bit? Of course, when had she ever in her life been able to just gloss over anything?

They left the amphitheater and headed for the Galactic Zone. Nothing but robots and turrets and her face plastered on absolutely everything. They’d started it yesterday but only managed to get so far before they agreed on coming back with ammo better suited to taking down the metal miscreants that inhabited it.

“That was a fantastic performance, sweetheart. Maybe your best one yet. I’m pretty sure Mason just jumped to the top of your fan club.”

“He reminds me of somebody but I dunno who.”

“He reminds you of someone?”

“Yeah.”

“Pre-war or post?”

“Post.” She puzzled over it as they walked. Somebody tall and authoritative in a juvenile, swaggering sort of way. Those wandering eyes and his puffed up ego. Surrounded by adoring sycophants… “Maxson.”

He snorted with laughter. “Elder Maxson?”

“Yup.”

“I’d keep that under your hat. I don’t think either man would be too thrilled with the comparison.”

They were finally out of sight of the main park and she began shimmying out of her ridiculous outfit while Deacon pulled her work clothes from his pack. “You don’t think they’re alike?”

“Nah, I think you nailed it.” He carefully rolled up the long leg of each boot before packing it away. “I just think they’d hate each other on sight.”

“People who are so much alike usually do.”

“True.”

“It’s probably why you and Mac can barely get along.”

“Puh. Bzzz. Wrong. Try again.”

Nora slipped on her pants and hopped a few times before fastening her jeans. “Y’all are two peas in a pod. I dunno why you can’t see it.”

“Cause there’s nothing to see. You’re crazy.”

“I am not crazy!”

“Sure you are.” He watched her button her shirt up and shook his head. “For example! Have you  _ ever _ changed your clothes in front of him that he didn’t just  _ have _ to touch you?”

Her head tilted for a moment while she thought, “Yup.”

“Wha… no way!”

“Yup. Once.”

Deacon snorted again,  _ “Once. _ For fuck’s sake.” He tossed her rifle to her and shrugged his pack back on. “Come on, Ellie Jo. Stop stalling and let’s go kill some robots.”

“And burn down some posters while we’re at it.”

“Sure, that, too.”


	15. Foxes know many things

_ January 4th, 2288 _

_ Prydwen, Boston Airport, Commonwealth _

Nora grit her teeth and willed away a shiver. As bad as the weather was on the ground, up here, one thousand feet above the shoreline, it was a million times worse. Freezing bits of salty ice kept pelting her, blown in off the rough north Atlantic sea. It clung to her glasses and made every source of light prismatic and overly bright. She could barely even see the Brotherhood soldier in front of her, but his belligerent tone was enough to make her face burn hot.

And after Paladin Danse had insisted they would just  _ love _ to have her up here, too.

She sighed at Captain Kells and wondered if he couldn’t feel his nose either. “And what's a soldier  _ supposed _ to look like?”

He scoffed, “A soldier is  _ supposed _ to be an efficient killing machine, not a relic from the past playing catch-up with the rest of the world.”

“A  _ relic?!” _

“If Danse hadn't stepped in and vouched for you, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. Accepting outsiders like yourself has proven disastrous in the past. Which is precisely why I personally insist on scrutinizing every recruit who boards this vessel. I've read Paladin Danse's reports. He seems to think you'll make a fine addition to the Brotherhood. You might expect an endorsement like that to grant you a great deal of latitude with us, but let me make one thing clear. The Brotherhood of Steel has traveled to the Commonwealth with a specific goal in mind. As the captain of this vessel, I won't allow anyone to jeopardize our mission no matter how valuable they  _ think _ they are. Understood?”

Oh, she understood just fine. How many men like him had she met at officer’s balls? How many promising boys had been lost to the war effort because they’d bought into the hype and built their entire self worth around their rank? If Nate were here, he’d knock him down a few pegs. Remind him that the man makes the rank, not the other way around.

But he wasn’t here. It was just her, alone and scared, cold and so far past tired. Danse had dragged her up here and then all but ran away once the captain started in on her. Protocol. Couldn’t be helped. In any case, she’d never been the type of wife who tried to wear the rank in her husband’s absence, and --

A light touch on the small of her back snapped her back into reality.

She wasn’t  _ entirely _ alone.

“Absolutely. I understand.”

“Good.” He smiled at her and it was too pompous to be called anything but smug. He must really feel he’d put her back in her place with that nonsense. “That's all for now, soldier. Your orders are to proceed to the command deck for the address, after which Elder Maxson wishes to have a word with you. Any questions, Initiate?”

“No, sir.”

“Then I suggest you head over to the command deck immediately. Dismissed, Initiate.”

Nora nodded and turned right, making her way slowly up the flight deck. Vertibirds were docked at several of the ports, but the wind slid around them all the same and blew right through her vault suit. Heights had never bothered her, but with everything slick from the storm, she felt a bit of caution was prudent. It wasn’t the fall, it was the  _ landing _ that could kill you. She kept her hand on the railing despite the sharp iciness of the metal and finally let herself shiver.

“Chilly reception in more ways than one, huh, boss?”

“In my experience, most military men aren’t exactly friendly while they’re on duty.”

Deacon made a rude noise behind her. “Maybe so, but you’re a goddamn lady. An officer’s wife, no less. I know Danse mentioned  _ that, _ at least. They should treat you as such.”

She smiled to herself as they ascended the staircase. Knowing Deacon, he probably already knew every single word in the report Danse had sent by heart. The sneaky thing. He was her first true friend in this terrible new world and, luckily for her, seemed to be the last remaining gentleman. Aside from Nick, of course. Preston, too, probably but she’d only met him a few times since Concord. The Railroad kept her quite busy these days.

“Not everyone can be as courteous as you, honey. It’s not their fault.”

“Hmph.” He stepped around her to open the heavy hull door, “Manners aren't hard. There’s no excuse for it.”

She could mention that it was actually terrible manners to wear sunglasses indoors unless one was visually impaired. Or that refusing to give someone your proper name was considered quite rude in her time. But Deacon was a friend and had been very kind to her in these dark months, so she didn’t.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

They entered just as the bosun’s call sounded over the intercom and she automatically stopped in her tracks, a hand covering her heart before she remembered this wasn’t America anymore. That sound didn’t mean it was time for the base to temporarily shut down while everyone once again pledged allegiance to the flag. She quickly lowered it but not quick enough to not get caught by her friend, whose amused smile at least had her laughing at herself a little. 

“Sorry. Old habits and all that.”

“It’s alright. Just remember, we don’t know how many people on this floating sardine can know you’re pre-war, right? Keep it under your hat, Professor.”

“Right.” Right right right. She was a  _ spy _ now. Or some kind of a secret agent, anyway. This trip to meet with Elder Maxson was so the Railroad could get a better idea of their plans. She was supposed to smile and nod and basically pretend she was at a garden party while Deacon slipped off to engage in espionage or something.

It made her feel a little silly, actually. Kind of like a heroine in a movie. It should probably be scary, being surrounded by people armed to the teeth while they attempted to gather intel, but life hadn’t seemed real for a very long time. Nothing about this world felt right and a lot of days she had to remind herself that this wasn’t, in fact, just a nightmare of some kind.

This was reality and it was all she had to work with.

A young man in a long coat that she was already envious of stood in front of a loose circle of Brotherhood members. Deacon nudged her in his general direction and she nodded. This must be Elder Maxson.

The Railroad (or Deacon, at least) kept files on all the major faction leaders, herself included. The one for Maxson was nearly as thick as a phone book. Took her almost two days of reading to get through it, so she already had a fairly firm grasp of what to expect.

Born to power, raised in a strict military tradition. A child soldier. Promoted too young to a position of unassailable strength and command. There were indications he was a trifle idealistic, cared about the common man in a ham-fisted sort of way, and was highly susceptible to suggestion if it came from the right source.

Deacon was convinced she could be the right source for them. That she fit the profile of the kind of woman Maxson had been raised to seek out. That… gave her pause. She was certainly no Mata Hari. Any feminine wiles she had were completely by accident. If he was expecting her to sweet talk this boy-king into doing their bidding or flirt her way into a position of power within the ranks, he was going to be disappointed.

She’d read a great deal about the Elder who’d served as his foster, Sarah Lyons, too. A plainspoken, forward thinking, steadfast kind of person. Dedicated, self-sacrificing, kind, always trying to do the right thing regardless of the possible negative consequences for her. Deacon had a lot of respect and admiration for her, despite her misfortune of being born into the Brotherhood.

Nora wished Elder Lyons were still in charge. Meeting with someone like that would be no problem whatsoever. They’d probably get along just fine.

Instead, she was faced with… this.

She absentmindedly listened to his long winded speech while she attempted to clean off her glasses. Finding a clean bandanna was easy enough in her pack (top right pocket, right where it always was), but the sea spray on her lenses was proving to be a bother. They certainly looked fine, but she kept seeing smears every time she slipped them back on. She was starting to feel a bit like Lady Macbeth by the time they were serviceable enough to use and it was almost all for naught as she startled and nearly dropped them at the sudden “Ad victoriam!” that rang out from everyone on board.

Nora cleared her throat a bit, copied their fist over heart salute and murmured quietly. “Ad victoriam.” To victory. How silly.

Maxson’s eyes had been on her for goodness only knew how long. Even with her glasses off, she’d felt the weight of his stare. Young or not, there was a kind of gravitas to his presence. A distinctive air of power and dominance. Emmy had once introduced her to a British minor lord who’d given her the same kind of look.

Maybe it was just something all highborn men of privilege shared.

He motioned her forward and she gave him her best ‘pleased to meet you’ smile. “Hello, Elder Maxson. How do you do? My name is Nora Cabot.”

Something crossed his face. Subtle. Not exactly a smile, just a softening of the mouth. “General Cabot, isn’t it? Welcome to the Prydwen.” He turned to the window and tilted his head at the snow covered city, sighing heavily. “I care about them, you know.”

Nora came to the window and stared out at the ruined skyline with him. “If you say so.” She didn’t exactly know how to respond to such a statement. He’d shown up in a warship, terrified everyone in Boston, given a speech about going to war with the Institute, and now this. The dissonance between actions and words here was astounding.

“I can understand your trepidation. Turning your weapons on the very same people that you're trying to save can be a bitter pill to swallow. The Brotherhood is here to prevent a war by starting one of our own. The difference is our war  _ won't _ reduce civilization to ashes.” He finally turned to her and seemed surprised at her clear dismay, “Mrs. Cabot? Are you alright?”

Her vision was blurry again but it wasn’t from the glasses this time. War was terrifying. Brutal. And he spoke of it so casually. It had been scary enough when it was happening thousands of miles away. A war  _ here? _ In her  _ home? _ Unthinkable. “I really wish you’d reconsider.”

“Reconsider?”

“You don’t know. You can’t know what it’s like. The… it… it changes men. War… it… does terrible things to them. Twists them up inside. My husband was --”

“Major Nathaniel Johnson. Yes, I know.”

That had her jerking her eyes away from the destruction below and to his face. “You know?”

“Paladin Danse’s report was quite thorough. He mentioned you were pre-war and that your husband had been an officer. Once we had your name, it was no trouble to look you up in our records.”

“Your records?”

“Our home in the Capitol Wasteland was once called the Pentagon. We have had access to all pre-war American military records for some time now.”

“Oh.”

“Your husband’s file was very impressive. He was quite a capable officer. I am… very sorry for your loss.”

He said it like the words were practiced and familiar in his mouth. The way a chaplain would. Remembering that somber face sandwiched between those two MPs on her front step made her infuriated and she frowned severely at him. “Exactly how many widows have you had to console already, Elder Maxson?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“How many do you think you’ll be creating by doing this?”

“It’s not my intention to --”

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Do people still use that expression?”

“I have heard it said.”

“Well, it’s true. You came up here, hundreds of miles from your home, to declare war on an enemy that is treacherous and unknowable. The people here have been fighting them for at least sixty years, perhaps even longer, and they still can’t root them out or even recognize one of their soldiers when they walk among them. So please, tell me, how exactly is the Brotherhood planning on destroying the Institute? They have a home field advantage, experience and far greater technological capabilities than you ever will. So what’s your great plan, Elder Maxson? I’m all ears.”

Maxson stared at her. His skin was flushed and his eyes were narrowed. Angry. She’d pushed enough to make him angry.

Dammit. She’d forgotten she was supposed to be polite here. If she got thrown off the ship before meeting back up with Deacon goodness only knew what kind of shenanigans he’d --

“Ah. Of course.” He smiled rather indulgently at her and she was completely thrown off again. “I’d read you were an attorney. That explains your argumentative nature.”

“Guardian ad litem.”

“Ad litem… that means ‘for the suit’, doesn’t it?”

“It means I represented people who were unable to represent themselves.”

He frowned, “What sort of people?”

“Children, mostly. A few unfortunates who had mental difficulties.”

“Oh.” Another smile, “So that’s it. You see the Commonwealth as your child to protect then, yes?”

“I suppose I do.”

He seemed to consider his next words carefully, “I have been appraised of your… unique situation. Your baby was abducted by the Institute, correct?”

That familiar sense of crushing grief and guilt crawled back up her throat. “Yes. He was.”

“It speaks greatly to your character that you are so passionate and dedicated to getting him back. I do hope you know that we will do everything in our power to help reunite you with your son.” He took the hand she hadn’t realized was tapping away against her leg and held it tightly in both of his. “There’s no need to be nervous with me, Mrs. Cabot. I find you quite enchanting already. You have nothing to fear from the Brotherhood.”

“I’m not afraid.”

Personal space. Now there was something to truly miss. Pre-war, one almost never had to worry about strange men touching you, let alone grabbing your hand. Nowadays though, things were very different. Preston had hugged her the moment they arrived in Sanctuary. Vadim had actually reached out and pet her hair like she was a cat or something her second night in Diamond City. And Deacon… well, honestly she didn’t mind it so much when Deacon did it. His touch was usually meant to steady her or let her know she was safe. Familiar. Familial. Benign. Not like this. This didn’t feel the same at all.

Maxson smiled again and squeezed her hand, “Please forgive my presumptions, ma’am, but you’re trembling.”

So they’d taught him to read body language. Or maybe he was just perceptive. Too bad for him her body threw signals that ran contradictory to how she felt all the time. Deacon had told her that after the billionth time he’d asked her what was wrong when she felt perfectly fine.

Of course, she  _ had _ spent the better part of Christmas sobbing all over the man, so perhaps he had a right to his concern.

Nora attempted a polite smile, “I’m just cold.” And furious, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Oh, my apologies.” He immediately released her hand and, to her horror, took off his coat and draped it around her shoulders. “I’m sorry it’s so heavy, but it should help with the chill.”

This felt too intimate. Too much. She was suddenly very much aware of how alone they were and that Maxson was the supreme authority here. She couldn’t just draw on him if he pressed his advantage. She had no defenses against him on his own turf. His coat was  _ very _ heavy, actually, which would have been lovely under any other circumstances. It also smelled like him and that made her feel like she was suffocating. Whiskey, industrial coolant and musk. She had to breathe through her mouth to keep from being overwhelmed by the sensory overload and felt her panic spike when his eyes immediately went to her lips.

“T-thank you.”

“Of course. It suits you.” He watched her take a half step back and seemed to finally remember himself, standing up straight and once again staring out the window instead of boring a hole through her face with his eyes. “Differences in methodologies aside, Paladin Danse’s report was actually quite complimentary. He concludes that you'd be an asset to us. Seeing as he's one of my most respected field officers, you couldn't get a better recommendation.”

Now what was happening? “Paladin Danse is very nice.” And not at all threatening or scary, even standing almost seven feet tall in his power armor. A teddy bear in a tin can. She wished he were here now. “Elder Maxson… what do you want from me?”

“I want you to start taking responsibility for this planet. To start making a difference. And from what I've read in Paladin Danse's reports, you've already begun that journey. Therefore, from this moment forward, I'm granting you the rank of Knight.”

She was fuming over the absurd idea that she was somehow responsible for the damage done to the planet during the war. She’d done her part as a citizen to put an end to the fighting. Hadn’t she always voted for the… “I’m sorry, what? A Knight?”

“Yes, and, befitting your title, we're granting you a suit of Power Armor to protect you on the field of battle. Wear it with pride.”

“I… I already have my own power armor.”

“Ah.” He considered this and then shrugged, “Be that as it may, ours is no doubt superior to anything you’ve managed to cobble together in the wastes.”

The gall of this man. As if the Brotherhood of Steel had any mechanic half as qualified as Sturges. “I --”

“In any event, once you're finished becoming familiar with the Prydwen and my staff, report to the flight deck for your new orders. Welcome aboard, soldier.”

He held his hand out for a handshake and she accepted it without thinking. There was a small, polite cough from behind them and she was immensely relieved to hear it.

Maxson, however, didn’t look quite as happy about the intrusion.

“Who are you and why are you on my ship?”

Deacon made a show of grinning humbly at the floor and took his hat off, holding it with both hands and keeping his shoulders slouched in a meek sort of way. A whole new person. Nora was astounded. She’d seen Hollywood actors with less talent.

“Aw, didn’t mean to interrupt or anythin’, sir. Just figured the boss might be a bit hungry, it bein’ dinnertime and all. I beg your pardon.”

She frowned. What on earth was that accent supposed to be? Cockney? Irish?

Had new accents developed while she’d been frozen?

“You know this man?”

Nora blinked and managed a quick glance at Maxson’s dark scowl before she let her eyes go back to Deacon’s sunglasses. So much easier than actual eye contact. “Y-yes, of course. He’s my, um…”

“Ah, bless her ‘eart! Blushin’ and bashful around you, sir. Well, who can blame her, eh?” He grinned at him, “Name’s Cal. I’m one of her Minutemen. Just acting as a guide, sir. Didn’t mean to start no trouble.”

Definitely cockney. She narrowed her eyes and thought it over. It was familiar.  _ Bad _ cockney… like Dick Van Dyke in  _ Mary Poppins. _ Good lord.

He didn’t actually think anyone had ever talked like that in real life, did he?

Maxson turned back to her, “I see. Are you hungry, General Cabot?”

Before she could answer, Deacon cut in. “Prolly tuckered right out, too, m’lord. Sir Danse says we’ve got bunks a’waitin’.”

Her eyes darted back to him and she just barely caught the Cheshire Cat grin before it was swallowed by Cal’s cheery, helpful expression. He knew  _ exactly _ how ridiculous he was being. It was one of his silly performances designed solely to make her laugh. He must have immediately noticed how her back was up. Playing the fool just for her. Nora smiled at him in acknowledgement. What a perfect darling he was.

“Hmm... bunks.” Maxson frowned down thoughtfully at her. “No. No, I don’t think that’s quite appropriate. You are our soldier but you’re also a visiting dignitary of sorts. There’s an empty private room by mine. I insist you take it while you’re here, General. Your man can… sleep on the floor or we can provide a cot, I suppose.”

“Nah, don’t trouble y’urself, gov’nor. I’m happy as a lark on the floor. More than good enough for the likes of me.”

“Alright then. It’s just up the ladder. There are guards posted but I’ll radio them.”

“Aw, thank ya kindly, sir.” Deacon stepped forward and held his hand out, “Come along then, miss. Don’t want to waste any more of young Sir Maxson’s time now, do we?”

“Of course.” Her hand slipped into his and she immediately felt better at the calm, slow way his thumb rubbed against her wrist. “If you’ll excuse me, Elder Maxson. It has been a very long day. It was nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. I hope to see you again very soon.”

They had almost been to the ladder but that statement had her stutter stepping and she would have fallen had it not been for Deacon’s steadying hand suddenly at her waist. “Y-yes, that would be nice. Good night.”

“Good night.”

Her heart thundered in her chest and she moved along in a sort of haze. Steered from behind up the ladder and then down a dark metallic hallway that looked identical to all the other dark metallic hallways on this floating coffin. She didn’t bother asking how he knew where they were going. Deacon somehow always knew and that strange omniscient way of his was wonderfully comforting in a world with very few answers to her infinite questions.

A door banged shut behind her and the weight of Maxson’s coat was immediately gone. Vanished like it was never even there. She took her first full breath since it had settled on her shoulders and felt the anxiety flow out of her with it.

Her nose wrinkled. She could still smell him on her. She hated it. The shivering got worse.

“Deacon.”

“I know. It’s okay, sweetheart. Just keep breathing.”

Nora closed her eyes and pretended to be somewhere else entirely. Somewhere nice and clean and cozy. A place with flawless blue skies and soft green grass. The vault suit was quickly peeled away, dissolving around her, guided by Deacon’s gentle hands that whispered along her skin only when absolutely necessary.

She wasn’t sure what it was about him that signaled so strongly to her that she was safe in his care. Maybe it was the way he never seemed put off by all her strange little habits. Or how understanding and kind he was with her when life got to be too much. He’d treated her like an old friend right from the start. Like he’d been waiting for her to show up his whole life so they could be the very best of friends.

And so they were.

“Arms up.”

She obediently raised her arms and the comforting feel of one of her very favorite pull over sweaters settled around her. Soft and familiar. It smelled like her and only her, despite being in Deacon’s bag for a few days.

Maybe that was it. He was a strange void of sensory information to her. He didn’t have any smell that she could detect, his voice was never too loud. Always calm and gentle. There was no direct eye contact to make her feel awkward. No unwanted physical contact. He took the time to explain things, clued her in when other people were joking or being sarcastic. Never annoyed, never impatient with her no matter how many times he had to correct her.

He just… helped.

His hand skirted up her back and somehow magically snapped her bra open. “Take that off. Pants?”

She pulled the straps through her sleeves and let it fall. “No.” Too much fabric. Too restricting and suffocating.

“Alrighty, but you’ve gotta wear socks, angel. Non-negotiable. These floors are  _ freezing.” _

“Can you turn them --”

“-- inside out. I know, I know.”

Seams on the inside of socks were insidious things that wore at her toes and distracted her terribly. She’d be up all night wriggling at the feel of them if they weren’t kept away.

The warm socks were slipped on her feet and she finally opened her eyes. She almost felt like herself again. Nightmares would come tonight, of course, but he’d be here to drive those away, too. Deacon was still in his common trader disguise, but was already shedding it.

“Thank you.”

“Hey, what’re friends for, right?” He gave her a half smile. “Sorry it took so long. I had to use a cat as a distraction to get to a terminal. Can’t ever predict what a cat’s gonna do.”

That made her laugh a little. “That’s alright.”

“He didn’t get… ungentlemanly with you, did he?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Hmm… you hungry?”

“I dunno if I could --”

“Jerky?”

Now that he’d mentioned it, protein did sound good. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

Nora moved to the bed and sat cross legged while Deacon, now down to a plain undershirt and pants, dug through his pack.

“Think I’ve got some deathclaw in here… ah.” He handed her a strip and sat next to her before running his hand over her hair and working on undoing her bun. “So… that was Elder Arthur Maxson. First impressions?”

She chewed thoughtfully. This was part of her training. Deacon was trying to do what thirty years of her mother’s incessant abuse had never accomplished: get her to notice the little things. “He’s very tall.”

He chuckled, “And?”

“Authoritative.”

“Uh-huh. And?”

“And… he’s not used to being argued with.”

“You argued?”

“A little. I’m sorry.”

He fluffed her hair out before waving her off, “Knowing him, it couldn’t be helped. What’d the argument teach you?”

“He’s… he’s very dismissive of anyone who disagrees with him. So, he thinks his way is the only way?”

“Correct. Excellent work.”

She beamed proudly, “Gold star.”

“Yup, gold star. So what was with the coat?”

“Oh.” She shrugged, “He caught my stimming and thought it was nerves. I told him I was just cold, so…”

“So Elder Maxson just casually draped his battlecoat over your shoulders like it was nothing.”

Her head tilted, “Was it something?”

“Nah. Probably not. Don’t worry about it. Did he say anything else?”

“He knows a lot about Nate.”

“What about you?”

"Some." She nibbled at her jerky, “I told him I was a guardian ad litem.”

“M’hmm.”

“He knows about Shaun and the Institute.”

“Yeah, most people do by now.”

“He said I looked nice in his coat.”

Deacon’s eyebrow went up at that. “Did he now?”

“It suits you. That’s what he said… and he called me enchanting for some reason even though I’d just fussed at him.” She could feel him staring at her through his shades and frowned. “What?”

He grinned, “Nothing, just… interesting. Personally I don’t really think black and grey are your colors.”

“They’re neutrals. Aren’t they everybody’s colors?”

“Nah, I like you a lot better in blue. Or green. Red...”

“You’ve never seen me in two of those colors.”

His hand suddenly cupped her cheek and turned her face towards his. “Lips that shame the red, red rose… she'll walk with springtime wherever she goes.”

She smiled and patted his cheek, “Sleeping Beauty. Princess Aurora was blonde, honey.”

His hand fell and he pouted at her, “It’s no fair. None of my lines work on you cause you know them all already.”

“Your lines won’t work on me because flattery doesn’t work on me. Never has.”

“Who says it’s flattery? You’re beautiful. You know that.”

“I’m symmetrical and fit the golden ratio. That’s all.”

“Oh, yeah, sure, that’s all.” He rolled his eyes and pushed her along until she gave in like she’d done every night since Christmas and sat comfortably against the wall. Watching him with far more open affection and faith than he had a right to as he set his head on her lap and got cozy himself, one hand tucked between her thighs and the other under his chin. “Just one more time?”

“You always say that.”

“Please? We’ve had a stressful day.”

“That’s true.” Her hand rested on his head and she sighed, “Alright, but keep your eyes closed. It’s weird when you watch me do it.”

He smiled and kissed her leg, “Nightingale. That’s what we should’ve called you.”

“Nate used to say I was his raven, like in the song.”

“What song?”

“Rockin’ Robin.”

Deacon thought for a minute, “The pretty little raven at the bird bandstand.”

“That’s the one.”

“You guys met at a dance, right?”

“Right.”

“Huh. That’s cute.”

“M’hmm.”

She took a deep breath and began. Singing the soft, sad love song his wife had sang for him a lifetime ago. Stars and sweet dreams and kisses in the moonlight. It swirled around him in a soothing, comforting way. A reminder of what he’d almost had. A balm to wash away the remaining bitterness in his heart.

Barbara had been a treasure. Beautiful and kind and understanding. Nora was another kind of treasure. Also beautiful and kind, even if she understood nothing. She accepted everything though. Called him reformed and believed it. Embraced who he was in a way that made it easier to be himself with her. He could let his guard down and be the man he’d once been around her. She was too oblivious to realize he wasn’t this person with anyone else, which suited him just fine.

He hadn’t been this honest with another living soul in over twenty years.

Though, really, he still wasn’t being completely honest with her, either. She was a singularly beautiful woman, an icon from the past no less, and he was just a man, after all. He was far too aware of the softness of her inner thigh under his hand. The naturally sweet smell of her. The times he’d held her through the night while she shuddered through her nightmares were exercises in torture and self-flagellation for him. Worse still were the nights he had to crawl over top of her and use his warmth and body weight to calm her down, doing his absolute best impersonation of a masochistic eunuch and praying to whatever god was out there listening that he didn’t blow it. The chaste, platonic kisses he’d occasionally press against innocent places on her person were the only relief he had for the reckless impulses she inspired in him while he fought against nature to shrug them off completely.

She trusted him implicitly. Partly because he’d manipulated her into it but also just because of who she was. A dangerously open heart protected by a frozen ocean of awkward, traumatic interactions with the outside world. By remaining (outwardly) unflappable and rolling with whatever new crazy thing she threw at him, he’d managed to slip through all that and land right in the middle of her high esteem and devoted friendship.

Nora was just as helpless as a lamb was the thing. She’d been a lamb even back before the war, when most men were still just dogs and not actual wolves. In the old days, she’d had her status as a Cabot, societal standards, and her husband to keep her safe. In this world, however, she didn’t stand a chance without some kind of protector.

He was more than happy to be that man for her, but he  _ was _ only one man. He had to sleep  _ sometimes. _ So he’d been on a recruiting spree of sorts and thus far, he’d managed to add Nick Valentine and Piper Wright to the growing list of people who’d die for her. Preston Garvey, who he hadn’t personally met yet, he was betting was already on board. The guy _had_ named her General after all. She’d be meeting Hancock in a few weeks time and he’d have to come up with something to turn the Commonwealth’s most famous Casanova into her very own Sir Gawain. Some angle that would inspire him to altruistic gentility.

He hadn’t figured out exactly how to do that just yet, but he was working on it. Once he had it and she had the mayor in her pocket, she’d be the safest woman in Boston. No doubt. Then maybe he could relax a little. Shift his focus to training her up for the inevitable fight that was coming.

The song ended and he sighed as it did. She only ever sang it once a night. Asking for an encore was useless.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Deacon.”

He owed her more. He’d already told her one of his darkest secrets, but it wasn’t enough. She’d brought music and mirth and purpose back into his life. She was his redemption. His third, and no doubt final, shot at happiness. She already had his love. She deserved his trust, too.

“John.”

The hand gently rubbing the stubble on his head paused. “Hmm?”

“It’s John... Johnny, when I was a kid, but…” She was uncharacteristically quiet and still for her and he chanced a peek at her face.

She smiled at him, “It’s nice to meet you, John.”

_ May 13th, 2289 _

_ The Metro Tunnels beneath DC _

Curie sighed to herself, again, and did her best to ignore the man in front of her, leading her to Rivet City. It was difficult, since it was only them in the dark, confining space, but she was managing thus far. Logically, she knew she was the only person capable of this particular mission, and Monsieur Morgan was the only person available to guide her to her destination. Somehow that wasn’t as much of a comfort as it should have been.

Poor Mac. She was truly worried for him. After Monsieur Wilks’s proclamation about Madame being married to  _ Elder Maxson,  _ of all people, she thought he’d had a mental break. She really did.

Not that she would fault him for it. It had been a very stressful, very difficult few days for him. A man could only be expected to take so much, after all.

He’d ordered the others to take Duncan outside and then spent nearly an hour ranting and raving at her. Demanding again and again that she, as one of Madame’s closest confidants, tell him this was insane. Impossible. Absolutely something Madame would never, _ ever _ do.

She wished she could have. Truly. But she was still reeling over the idea that Madame had been the one to suggest injecting that awful serum into a small child. Still puzzling over her relationship with Monsieur Deacon.

Curie had been trying to come to terms with the fact that perhaps she didn’t know her beloved Madame quite as well as she’d always assumed. This nonsense with Elder Maxson was just the cherry on the ice cream.

So since she couldn’t give him solace, she’d been sent out into the wastes with everyone’s least favorite vault dweller to investigate. First to Rivet City for rumors and a look at these alleged posters for herself, and then, should they need to, a trip into the Citadel.

If she survived, of course.

Her attention temporarily drifted back to the man sauntering ahead of her. His mouth  _ still  _ had not stopped moving. If she focused a bit, she could almost make sense out the babbling. Something about a whole army of reaver ferals and the White House. Absurd. He told the most ridiculous stories.

There was a hand on her chest suddenly, pushing her back against a wall. It squeezed a few times and Curie scowled, slapping it away. “What do you think you are doing?”

“Shh, baby. Somethin’s comin’.”

She frowned at how worried he looked and listened. There was nothing. “I do not hear --”

_“Shh!”_ He grabbed her hand and all but threw her into a nearby subway car, climbing up after her and blocking the entrance with his body.

Curie had never actually seen him serious before. The change was rather startling, turning him from a buffoon into someone sincere and almost trustworthy. It was remarkable. She crouched down and peeked under his arm. A small team of Brotherhood soldiers, scribes by their uniforms, went marching past and she huffed.

“They are only Brotherhood.”

“Yeah.”

She stood and huffed again, “You are Brotherhood, are you not?”

“I told you, niblet. It’s complicated.”

“Complicated.”

“Yeah.” He didn’t take a full breath until they were out of sight and finally turned to face her. “Sorry for shoving you around. I don’t usually make a habit of manhandling ladies or anything. Couldn’t be helped.”

Her left breast would beg to differ. “How much further is it?”

He didn’t even bother checking the Pipboy on his arm. “Five hundred feet, give or take. Then we’re back in the sweet sunshine, darlin’.”

And away from this artificial closeness. Thank the lord. “Then let us go.”

“Right.” He hopped down first and held out a hand for her to hold while she climbed down. “So, you met Duncan, right?”

This seemed like a safe enough topic. She nodded. _ “Oui.” _

“What’d you think of him?”

“He is a very sweet little boy.”

Ben smiled at her, “Yeah, I think so, too. Course, his mother was an angel, so…”

“You knew Mac’s wife?”

“Oh, sure. She was probably the nicest kid at Lamplight back in the day... after Bumble, of course. Only threatened to stab me once, which, ya know, is pretty good for me.”

“Bumble?”

“The littlest Lamplighter back then. Real sweetheart. She’s working for a friend of mine in Megaton nowadays. Safer there than out in the wastes. Her actual name’s Betty, but I still call her Bumble. I’m gonna always call her Bumble, dammit. It’s cute. I don’t care what she says.”

“How old is she now?”

“I dunno. Sixteen or seventeen. Somewhere around there.”

“Lamplight was destroyed, yes? Was she there when it happened?”

He sighed, “Yeah… I mean, no. Yeah, it was destroyed, but no, she wasn’t there when it happened. Moira needed an assistant and I went and got her when she was… I forget. Couldn’t have been more than ten at the time. But she’s sharp, you know? So it was a real opportunity for her. No way I was gettin’ her into 101, so it was the next best thing. I’m pretty sure, anyway. Better than being a Brotherhood squire, that’s for damn sure.”

“Ah.”

They walked along for a bit and he sighed again, “Go ahead. Ask me.”

“Ask you what?”

“Why didn’t I stop it.”

“Could you have?”

“You’re damn right I could have!”

She frowned. He seemed very angry suddenly, every muscle in his body tense. “Then, why didn’t you?”

His shoulders slumped, “Cause I didn’t know. I wasn’t keeping tabs like I should’ve and… by the time I found out, they’d already emptied the cave.”

“Oh.”

“I should’ve been there.”

“Do you see it as your job to watch over the entire Capitol Wasteland?”

“No, not anymore. But I should’ve at least kept watch over what Arthur was up to.”

“It was his decision to burn down Lamplight?”

“I dunno. He signed off on it, but I dunno who came up with the idea. If I did, they’d be a dead man walking.”

“Hmm.” She thought this over for a moment, “Then, do you regret defecting? Do you believe you could have influenced him in some way if you had not?”

“I can’t regret it. There was no other choice. I had to do it.” He shook his head, “It’s hard though, you know? He used to follow me around when he was little. Tell me he wanted to grow up to be just like me. I practically raised that kid with Sarah. He was like our firstborn. The epitome of a pancake kid.”

“Pancake kid?”

“Yeah, you know how when you make pancakes, the first one’s always a flop, so you throw it out?”

“Ah…”

“Well, Artie’s the flop.”

She followed him up a set of stairs, through a metal gate and into sunshine so bright it made her sneeze. He surprised her by immediately handing her a handkerchief. It seemed a little odd that someone so capricious would be so prepared.

“Bless you.”

_ “Merci.”  _ Curie sniffled a bit and thought about the puzzle pieces of him she had thus far. “Monsieur Morgan?”

“You can just call me Ben, cutie pie.”

“Ben, then… may I ask you a question? It is of a personal nature.”

“Shoot.”

“Do you have a child?”

He froze and she froze behind him. The tension was back in his shoulders and for the first time since she'd met him, he actually seemed dangerous to her. “Are you asking to confirm or because you dunno?”

“I am asking because I do not know. I am doing a study of human reproduction and --”

Ben snorted and started laughing, “Oh, baby. Damn. You’ve got a book on you, huh?”

_ “Pardon?” _

“Nothing.” He shook his head, still chuckling, and they resumed their hike. “Yeah, I got a kid.”

“They are the offspring of Sarah Lyons as well?”

“Yup.”

“Is that why you left the Brotherhood?”

“Yeah, it is. Sarah was barely cleared for duty after Mary was born when she died. I stuck around because I didn’t have anything else. The Lyonses had been my family and when they were gone, I assumed the Brotherhood would fill the void, but… feelings weren’t mutual, I guess. Mary was barely four when we left. Arthur was crowned king a year later.”

Her head tilted as she considered it, “You said that with Maxson gone, you were probably the highest ranking soldier left here, correct?”

“Yup.”

“Were you ever Elder?”

He laughed, “Nah. Although, that was part of their problem for a long time. I probably shoulda been, but I had enough enemies that they kept me benched. At first they told me I needed time to grieve Sarah. Then it was I must be too busy raising Mary. But I knew. I knew too many of them still saw me as an outsider. It just wasn’t gonna happen, but there were enough members who’d served with me in the Pride and fighting the Enclave that they kept getting riled up over it. Lot of hurt feelings there, but none of ‘em were mine.”

“Is that why you left?”

“Nope. I didn’t care what they thought about me. I was just happy to have a safe place to raise my little girl. Then one day, I came back from a mission I’d taken for the Regulators and I caught a bunch of them at the firing range with Mary. They’d put a goddamn laser rifle in her hands and were trying to teach her how to shoot. Her hands were so fucking little back then. Chubby with all that cute baby fat, you know? She could barely even pull the trigger but they were all clapping and telling her she was going to be an amazing Knight someday. Follow in her mother’s footsteps. Maybe even marry Arthur when she grew up. They had it all planned out. I realized they were only keeping me around to have access to Sarah’s daughter. The last Lyons. And  _ then _ I realized there was gonna come a day when they decided I was in the way of their plans for her. We left that night.”

“How old is your daughter now?”

“About to turn eleven. Lives with my buddy Butch in Megaton. Goes by her middle name now. Catherine. Everyone there assumes she’s his daughter and that works out fine. Brotherhood don’t give a shit about him since he’s just another wastelander to them. They probably think I have her stashed away somewhere super secret, but she’s right down the road from ‘em.”

“Hiding in plain sight.”

“Yeah.”

“That is one of Monsieur Deacon’s favorite tactics.”

“Heh, yeah, well, he is the best. I am but a humble student of the master.”

“Do you visit her often?”

“All the time. Bring her presents. Bring caps so Butchie can keep her fed and happy. All that jazz.”

“Hmm. This Megaton is safe?"

"Safe as kittens."

"Does it have a school?”

“Not really. There’s enough sedentary old farts around to teach the kids to read and write and whatever, but nah.”

“Madame is dedicated to putting schools in every settlement in the Commonwealth.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Emergency services, too.”

“Emergency services?”

“Fire fighters, militia, clinics. That sort of thing.”

“Oh. Well, good for her.”

Curie tapped her finger on her rifle thoughtfully for a moment. Mac would be furious with her, but Madame always insisted children’s welfare came before everything else. The man was clearly trouble, but he was also capable and intelligent. His daughter was the product of two fairly impressive specimens. Or one, at least. Surely there was a place for them both somewhere. She wrestled with the decision for almost a minute before she finally opened her mouth.

“You should come with us.”

He looked at her from over his shoulder, “Come with you? Where?”

“Back home. To Boston.”

_ “Wow,  _ Curie. Wow. I didn’t realize you’d fallen so hard so fast, babygirl. Pump the brakes a little or I just might break your heart.”

She scowled, “I have not fallen for anyone. Your daughter deserves a life where she doesn’t have to hide who she is and where she can receive a proper education. Madame told me to make the offer to anyone I thought would be a good fit in her settlements.”

“And you really think I’d be a good fit among civilized people?”

“If Monsieur Deacon can manage to fake it, so can you.”

“Ha! Well, you’ve got me there. I dunno. Maybe.” They started up the long walkway to the bridge that would take them to Rivet City. “How many settlements does your Madame got under her flag anyway?”

“Including the ones in Maine, thirty-four.”

“Jesus!”

“You could say thirty-six if you included Goodneighbor and Diamond City, but they remain independent allies and Madame is good friends with both of their mayors.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of Goodneighbor. Kinda like Vegas, right?”

“There is no gambling there that I know of.”

“Hmm. Run by a ghoul, isn’t it?”

“Mayor Hancock, yes. Madame is very close to him and he cares for her deeply. It is quite touching to see. For a long time, I believed that they would be together, but then she met Mac.”

“So she’s not a ghoul bigot. That’s good to know.”

She puffed up a little at the very idea. “Madame would never judge someone based on a medical condition!”

He chuckled, “Alright, alright. Calm down. I wasn’t trying to besmirch your Madame or anything. Who’s in charge of Diamond City these days? Last I heard, it was some asshole named McDonough.”

“Mayor McDonough was a plant by the Institute. He was terminated upon discovery after he shot their head of security and took a poor woman hostage. Detective Valentine took him down. I am almost certain this is what led to him being named mayor, despite his being a synth.”

“A synth?”

_ “Oui.” _

“Wow. So, he just tells people or was he outed?”

“Oh, no. Detective Valentine is somewhere between a Gen-2 and 3 synth. A prototype. He looks like a typical Gen-2 but he possesses the memories and personality of a pre-war detective. Madame said that when she first heard the name, she assumed he was a descendant of the man she’d once known.”

“She knew him pre and post-war? That’s wild.”

“Well, she knew  _ of _ him. He was quite famous.”

“Huh. Thirty-four settlements. Plus she’s a mayor and an agent and…” He shook his head. “I need to talk to Mac when we’re finished here. Remind me if I forget.”

“Why?”

“He needs to stop her before it’s too late.” Ben pushed a button on a small metal box and waited for a buzzed response. “It’s just me. Lower the drawbridge.”

An irritated voice came through the static, “It’s  _ extend  _ the drawbridge, Ben. We’re a ship, not a castle. You know this.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He smiled at her while they waited. “That’s my ol’ buddy Harkness. He’s a synth himself, but we keep it on the downlow. Kinda what got me started in the Railroad… or put me on Deacon’s radar anyway.”

“Ah.”

“He’s head of security here, so show him those pearly whites and be polite.”

“I am always polite.”

The bridge came to a halt with a clang and they crossed it, high over the Potomac, and met a security detail on the other side. Despite Ben’s claim that they were friends, Harkness didn’t look very happy to see him.

“What’s your business here, Ben?”

“Just came to do a little shoppin’. That’s cool, right?”

“Depends. Who’re you working for today?”

He grinned and slung an arm around her shoulders, “Nobody. Just taking my best girl out to see the sights.”

Harkness turned his piercing stare on her and Curie smiled and waved. “Huh.” His regular scowl turned into something paternally protective. “Don’t let him fool you, miss. He’s nothing but trouble.”

“Aw, Harkness! Come on, man!”

“I have already noticed this, thank you.”

He chuckled, “Alright then. So long as you keep him in line, you can pass.”

_ “Merci.” _

Ben huffed and pulled her along, “Always gotta try to cockblock people… unbelievable.”

Curie followed him and finally tugged her hand free from his once they entered the dark interior of the former aircraft carrier. There was a market set up in what had once probably been the main hanger or staging area.

“Where are the posters?”

“Along the back wall. High up. Most of the people here hate the Brotherhood, so any propaganda has to be placed out of their reach.”

“Why allow it to be placed at all?”

“Because the city council doesn’t want to give them a reason to finish what they started when they took their fusion cores. Follow me.”

She trotted after him and took in the sights as they passed. There were several shops and even a small cafe. At least as many people as in Diamond City. Children darting about. Here she could find many specimens for her study and --

“There they are.”

Curie almost bumped into him when he stopped and looked up to where he was pointing. _ “Non… non, _ this is… _ mon dieu.” _

“So it  _ is _ Madame then?”

It certainly was. Madame in her Minutemen uniform, under the arm of Elder Maxson. Each poster was the same picture, but different slogans had been printed on each. Together in Strength. United in Purpose. Bonded by Steel. She squinted a bit. Something was a little off. Madame did not have her glasses on and the smile she gave him was…

“This is a drawing.”

“Yup.”

“I do not understand. Why do people believe they are married?”

He pointed again, “Details, precious. See? Arthur’s got a ring on. So does she.”

“Who do people think she is?”

He shrugged, “Rumors are that he found a wasteland warrior queen who’d already claimed most of New England as hers and they got hitched. Brotherhood soldiers have been bragging about their extended territory for months now. Most civilians aren’t buying it though.”

“Why not?”

Ben laughed, “Cause look at it! That’s obviously just one of the Nuka Girls recolored, right? I mean, come on. Who’s not gonna recognize that face?” He shook his head ruefully. “Can’t believe Mac landed a girl who looks like _that._ I wonder if they were related or somethin’.”

That was it. The smile on her face wasn’t her actual smile. It was the fake one on the Nuka billboards. Curie couldn’t imagine her ever allowing Elder Maxson to even get that close to her, let alone stand willingly under his arm, questionable taste in friends or not.

“These are a lie.”

“You think?”

“I know.”

He shrugged, “I dunno. Y’all have been gone a while, right? Artie can be charming when he wants to be. Who knows what’s happened?”

_ “Non. _ She would never do such a thing to Mac.” Or the Commonwealth. Or Shaun.  _ Mon dieu, _ her son was already in danger just by the Brotherhood being interested in her and knowing of his presence. If they ever found out he was a synth...

“They haven’t been together that long, right? Can’t even have been a year yet.” He shrugged again. “Shit happens, sugar plum. The course of true love never runs smooth, et cetera, et cetera.”

_ “Non! _ You do not understand! They are --” She came up short and clapped both hands over her mouth. She’d nearly said it out loud. Her eyes went to Ben’s face and she immediately realized he wasn’t going to just let it go.

“They are… what?”

Her hands came down slowly. “You cannot tell anyone. You must promise… and keep it better than I did.”

“Cross my heart.”

“It is a matter of… of  _ great _ secrecy. I do not even think Monsieur Deacon knows.”

“Oh, shit. So it’s real juicy then. Come on, dewdrop. Lay it on me.” He leaned over so she could whisper it in his ear.

Curie stepped a bit closer. “Madame and Mac are engaged.”

_ “No.” _

_ “Oui. _ In all but name. He told me so himself. They are only waiting for Duncan to meet her and then it will be official.”

“No, no, no. That’s crazy. They’ve only known each other a hot minute.”

“I realize this.”

“Moved awful fast didn’t he? I didn’t think pre-war girls moved that fast. Right? Am I wrong here?”

“Madame is…” She gestured at the posters.  _ “Madame. _ Most men seem to want to move fast around her. This is why Monsieur Deacon and Mayor Hancock almost always travel at her side. They are well known in the Commonwealth for being dangerous men, so they are able to keep her safe from unwanted advances.”

“Holy shit. He landed a white whale, didn’t he?” He blinked up at the image and then frowned. “So wait, if that's true, then what the fuck is actually going on here?”

“I would like to know this as well!”

“Hmm. Well… there’s nothing for it. We’re gonna have to.”

“Have to what?”

“Get a room here for the night. Soak up whatever rumors we can and then head over to the Citadel first thing in the morning.”

“The Citadel?”

“Yup.”

“Won’t that cause trouble for you?”

“Nah.” He grinned at her and it was all teeth. “They’re scared of me now. I’m the little grain of sand in their machinery. They can’t hold Mary over my head anymore and make me behave, see? And now Artie’s not around to guilt trip me and make sure I don’t cause a ruckus. They’ll probably scatter like radroaches when they see us coming.”

“Won’t that make getting to the heart of the matter a bit more difficult?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t trust a damn word any of them says anyway.”

“So, why --”

“I’m gonna hack into their files. See what’s  _ really _ real up in there.”

“Ah. Is this not dangerous?”

“Only if we get caught, but… it’s for Mac. I owe him. I really… owe him one.” He nodded thoughtfully at the poster and then stared down at her. “You’ll tell him that, right? That I’m doin’ all this just for him?”

“Are you?”

“Yes.  _ Mostly _ yes.”

“Then should I?”

“I would consider it a huge favor.”

“If I decline, would you do it anyway?”

He didn’t hesitate, “Yeah, I would.”

“Alright then.”

“Really?”

_ “Oui.  _ You seem to be very fond of Mac and his family. I am still not sure exactly why, but if you are trying to ingratiate yourself to him through acts of service, then I see no harm in it. I will assist you.”

“Thanks, Curie. You’re a real peach.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is from the proverb: πόλλ' οἶδ' ἀλώπηξ, ἀλλ' ἐχῖνος ἓν μέγα
> 
> "The fox knows many little things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing."


	16. Subterfuge and Chicanery

_ May 16th, 2289 _

_ Overboss’s Quarters, Fizzletop Mountain Grille, Nuka World _

Nora groaned and collapsed on the bed. “Shower’s open.”

“Bless you.”

“M’hmm.” She listened to the sounds of Deacon stripping down and heading for the bathroom, only turning her face from the mattress when she heard the door shut behind him. The sun had just set and an almost cool breeze was starting to waft in through the large open windows. She was grateful for that. If they could somehow rig up some hammocks, this place would almost be livable.

They’d been here a week. A solid week of cleaning up abominations, pushy meetings with bristly gang leaders, and gently questioning the timid slaves from the market. Seeing those people in collars and not being able to immediately help them was weighing heavily on her. They had to move slowly though. Come up with a foolproof plan and  _ then _ act. She and Deacon were outnumbered at least one hundred to one here, probably more. Nobody could beat odds like that. Not even the Death Bunnies. Calling in for reinforcements before making sure the hostages were taken care of would be mass murder/suicide.

She eventually found the energy to roll over and stared at the ceiling. Breeze or not, it was still just too hot. Even out of that silly outfit. Even just down to a t-shirt and shorts. Post-apocalyptic summers were just brutal. Her Cappy shirt was damp and she waved it a bit, trying to cool the fabric enough to cool herself off. She missed all of her electric fans back home.

Kinda felt like the old days. Just like last summer. Except back then she’d mostly run with Hancock while she got the Minutemen’s artillery squared away. At least Deacon didn’t radiate heat like he did. That helped at night.

They always slept with the doors locked and the main lift deactivated, but she still didn’t trust that Gage wouldn’t one day realize who she actually was. Wouldn’t finally put the fabled, distant Minutemen General together with Ellie Jo Cabot, pick the lock and come in here to slit their throats. He was smart. His intelligence was leaps and bounds above the average raider. Perceptive and observant, too. So Deacon slept right by her side, just like he used to. Always armed and far more dangerous than most realized until it was too late. An unstoppable force for good between her and the immovable object that was this particular Nuka World experience.

She knew he was enjoying it. He’d never admit it, but he  _ was _ the cuddly sort, no matter how he insisted otherwise. He’d been very respectful and gentlemanly about her relationship with Mac and pulled back a little for his sake, but she could tell he had missed it. The only cuddles he got lately were from Shaun or Dogmeat. Nora frowned to herself a bit. There had to be something she could do about that. Mac was fine with Hancock snuggling with her. Maybe some agreement could be made there in the same way.

Really, if you thought about it, it would be better for everyone. Deacon was noticeably less bombastic if he wasn’t quite so touch-starved. She’d never minded it either way, but she knew others were easily irritated by his mischief.

They’d probably be going all of Sanctuary a favor.

The door finally opened again and he emerged in his Nuka brand shorts, immediately scowling at her. “Pistol. Where is it?”

Shoot. “I forgot. I’m sorry.”

“You can’t forget that shit, boss. Your hand-to-hand skills are better than they were, but caught off guard against a guy like Gage…” He shrugged.

“I know. I know. I’m just… so tired. Already.” She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She wasn’t going to cry in front of him again. He already had enough on his plate. “It’s only been a week and I’m  _ so tired!” _

“Ah, sweetheart.”

She shook her head, “No.”

“Lay down.”

_ “No! _ I’m  _ fine!” _

“Nora.”

Ugh, that tone. That big brother tone of his that said she was being utterly ridiculous and he was being perfectly reasonable. She sighed and let herself fall back against the bed before rolling over and grumbling. She refused to acknowledge the little twitches and tremors running along her body. “I’m fine.”

“Of course you are.” Deacon stretched out over her and settled his weight against her back, rubbing his cheek against her shoulders. “Mmm, your hair’s all wet and cold still. That’s nice.”

A small huff of laughter escaped her. “Was this for me or you?”

“Both.” His hands found hers and their fingers laced together. “Listen, I know this is hard. I know. You’re an honest person and this side of the job has always been difficult for you.”

She took a deep breath and felt a little of the tension leave her. His voice was barely above a whisper. Calm and gentle after a day of being bombarded with harsh words and excessive yelling from all the raiders outside. “Yeah.”

“But you’re doing great and we are going to get through this. I promise.”

“Okay.”

“Be a lot easier if you’d just --”

“No. We can’t just leave them behind. I wouldn't be able to live with myself.”

He sighed, “Alright. Well, then there’s nothing to be done for it, right? You can’t abandon these people and you can only help them if you’re the Overboss, so you gotta be the Overboss.”

“I know.” Her eyes closed and she focused on keeping her breathing slow and steady, synced with his. “I don’t like having to be somebody else all the time.”

“I know you don’t.”

“I  _ hate _ being here.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty funned out myself.”

“But I’m glad it’s you here with me and not somebody else. Is that selfish?”

“No, I’m glad, too. I missed us.”

“Yeah.”

“I like having you all to myself.” He growled and mimed biting her until she giggled.  _ “My _ bun-bun.”

Nora smiled, “You’re lucky Mac’s not here. He’d blow his top. You know he hates it when you do that.”

“I know. Kid never did learn to share.”

“That’s not true. He said growing up in Lamplight taught him what to share and what to keep, and that I’m to keep.”

“Damn. That’s  _ almost  _ smooth. I can see why you like him so much.”

“M’hmm.” Her smile dimmed. “I miss him.”

“Me, too.”

That surprised her, “Really?”

“Yeah. I know. I’m just as shocked as you are.”

“What do you think he’s going right now?”

“Right now right now?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm… well, it’s pretty late, so he’s probably asleep already. Toddlers need a lot of rest.”

“Deacon.”

“Okay, okay, sorry. Nah, he’s probably cuddled up with Duncan by now. Having a great time. Thinking inappropriate thoughts about you whenever he’s got a spare minute. Curie’s bugging all his friends for samples.” That had her giggling again and Deacon smiled at the sound. “And he’s probably planning on where to take her. Show her around a bit like he promised and  _ then _ he’ll be packing up and coming home. Back to you. Right where he belongs.”

“You really think he’ll come back?”

“I know he will. You think he won’t?”

She shrugged. “I dunno. Sometimes I wonder and then I feel bad that I wondered.”

“Don’t feel bad. Anybody would wonder.”

“I guess.”

“Anyway, they’ll be fine. I may have called in a few favors on their behalf. Got a buddy down there, you know.”

“I thought you had a lot of buddies in the Capitol Wasteland.”

“Yeah, but this one guy in particular… he’s solid. I asked him to shadow Curie. He’s her contact down there. Agent Omega. He’s going to keep an eye on them for us.”

“Why?”

“Cause it’s different down there.”

“Different how?”

“Well… like, for example, if you’re here and you’re in trouble, who can you call?”

“The Minutemen.”

“Right. And you guys show up lickety-split and handle whatever’s going on at no charge and with no expectations. All they’ve got down there is the rear detachment of the Brotherhood, so…”

“So?”

“So that’s hardly any help at all. Way I hear it, they can barely hold their own little clubhouses, let alone the rest of the area. And if they do show up, a lot of them demand compensation for their efforts. Mac has his own set of friends down there, and from what I’ve heard they’re alright. But they just don’t have the kind of firepower or uh… special skills Benji’s got.”

“Benji? That’s Omega’s real name?”

“Yeah. Cute, right? Don’t let it fool you though. He’s a beast when he needs to be.”

Nora raised up a little so she could look at him properly, “You’re worried about them. Actually worried, not pretend worried.”

He shrugged, “Yeah.”

“That’s very sweet of you, honey.”

“Well… they’re important to you, so they’re important to me.”

She laid back down and rolled her eyes, “You can just admit you like them, too, you know. It’s okay. I won’t tell anybody.”

“Heh. Alright. I guess I like them, too. As their own people even, not just extensions of you.”

“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” She laughed when he just grumbled in response. “I feel better now. Thanks.”

“No problem.” Deacon rolled away and laid down next to her. “Well, cotton candy and carbonated Nuka aside, this place officially  _ sucks.” _

“Agreed.”

“Cotton candy  _ is _ crazy good though. I wish we could drag one of those machines home. The kids would go nuts.”

“They have to weigh at least five hundred pounds.”

“Maybe power armor?”

“Oh, sure.” She laughed, “Because that wouldn’t look… huh.”

“Huh?” He looked over at her. “Uh-oh, that’s your ‘I’ve got a crazy idea’ face. Spill it, Professor.”

“Brotherhood.”

His nose immediately wrinkled in disgust, “What about ‘em?”

“We could give them Nuka World.”

“What? That’s…” He frowned thoughtfully, “Huh. That’s…”

“It would get them out of Boston.”

“Lots of tech for them to play with and hoard around here.”

“We could use their forces for the final assault and save our boys the trouble.”

“Be a real feather in Maxson’s cap to have the Project: Cobalt stuff.”

“Wouldn’t have to see the stupid Prydwen every time I’m at the Castle.”

He chuckled, “You do really hate that thing.”

“It’s an eyesore! I’m tired of it hanging over everybody. It makes me feel like they’re just staring at us all the time. Creeps me out.”

“It’s a good idea, but…”

“But?”

“Those civilians. You know how the Brotherhood feel about wastelanders. They aren’t gonna care if a few innocent people have to die for them to claim the park. They’ve never been shy about amassing collateral damage. So what do we do about them?”

Nora chewed the inside of her cheek and thought hard. “Okay, how about this? The market is guarded by members of all three gangs, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay, well that gives us an advantage then, doesn’t it? Yeah. Yeah! It could totally work!”

“What could totally work? You skipped ahead a bit and left me behind again.”

She sat up, excited and energized suddenly. “Sorry! So what we can do is get some Minutemen in here. Maybe some Railroad heavies, too, since they’re just sittin’ around being bored. Have a few show up every week and pretend to join a gang.”

“How are they gonna join the Disciples? You gotta be flayed to do that.”

“Oh, right. Well, two out of three is still pretty good. There’s only ever twelve guards, so that’s just four people they’d have to worry about. Glory could handle that all on her own.”

“True. And guarding the market is… what’d they call it?”

“Babysitting.”

“Right.  _ Babysitting.” _ He chuckled.

“Only the lowest of the low get the job, so naturally they’d be able to get in there as new recruits!”

Deacon sat up, too. “Replace the guards with our own guys.”

“Since it’s split between all three gangs, and they don’t ever get to know each other, we could do it quick. I’m thinkin’... a month maybe?”

“One month and then we’ll have the market.”

_ “Then _ we call in the Brotherhood. They can go hog wild on the rest of the park --”

“-- while our guys take down the four Disciples, keep the market clear of hostiles, and get those collars off the merchants. Even the greenest heavy knows how to deactivate a slave collar. No problem.”

“Then once the fighting is over, we can get the hostages out or help them broker a deal with the Brotherhood to stay. As free citizens this time, not as slaves.”

“That’s a lot of moving pieces.”

“We need Preston, Dez and Maxson all on board. Preston’s easy. Dez is… doable if you’re nice enough.”

“Hey! Rude. Also you should probably rephrase that sentence if you ever need to say it again.”

“Maxson though…”

Deacon grunted a little. “Yeah. Maxson though.”

“I’ll have to talk to him in person, won’t I?”

“Definitely. He probably won’t want to do it at first unless he thinks it’s a chance to impress you.” He stared hard at her. “And I meant what I said last year. You don’t get to have solo meetings with him anymore. He clearly can’t be trusted to behave himself.”

“It was just a coat, honey.”

“No, it was him trying to mark you as his territory and that is  _ not _ okay.”

“Oh, Deacon.”

“Don’t you ‘oh, Deacon’ me.”

“Well, I’m not some scared little girl anymore, now am I?”

“No, you’re not, but you know if people put you in… untoward situations, you’ve got two reactions. You either freeze up or you fight. You freeze around Maxson and you’re going to find yourself married to the guy. You fight and it’s war.  _ No private meetings.” _

“I’m not… I would never marry that child.”

“You do know him and Mac are the same age, right?”

“Maybe from a biological point of view.”

He snorted, “Yeah, okay.”

“Paladin Danse can --”

“Nope. He’s loyal to Maxson. If he was ordered to leave the room, he’d do it. If you’re going to do this, at least take Preston with you.”

“Preston?”

“Nobody wants to have Garvey give them that disappointed look. Not me, not even Elder Maxson. He respects him, so he’ll behave himself.”

“That’s true. Preston is very respectable.”

“You realize this means leaving the park unattended.”

“I know… you can mention to Gage that I’ve got plans for scouting new territory or something. He’ll buy it coming from you.”

“How do you keep everything from reverting into chaos?”

“You can go meet with Dez first --”

“And leave you here alone? No. Not happening.”

“I won’t be alone.”

“Gage does not count. Neither does Mason, for that matter. I know you like them, but they’re still the bad guys.”

“I don’t  _ like _ them. I just… think they have potential.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’ll send for Strong.”

“Strong?”

“Yup.”

“Why Strong?”

“Because people who don’t know any better think he’s scary and he’s very loyal and… well,  _ strong. _ You’ve seen him in action. Remember when he threw that brahmin carcass at that deathclaw and --”

He held up a hand and winced, “Yeah, please don’t remind me. That was so gross.”

“Well, gross or not, he can keep me safe. Plus, he won’t think I’m… you know, being silly.”

“Being silly?”

She sighed, “With the Overboss stuff. If anybody saw me like this besides you, I’d  _ die. _ Strong doesn’t notice what humans wear or whatever. He won’t care. Can you imagine though if it were… I dunno, Hancock or somebody? That’d be so embarrassing!”

He could. He absolutely could, and while he agreed with her for very different reasons, he still agreed. “Alright. Strong it is then.”

“I’ll have to leave eventually to coordinate with Preston and Maxson, and Strong can stay here to remind everyone that I’m still in charge. I don’t think he’ll have to do much more than wander around the park and occasionally smash something, which is what he does on an average day anyway, so… this might actually work.”

“Alright. Wait, am I coming back after talking to Dez or not?”

“I dunno.” She tilted her head and thought it over. “Gage says there’s whispers that you’re the real power here, you know. That I’m just a figurehead for whatever your dastardly plans are.”

“That’s… remarkably astute for a bunch of raiders.”

She shoved him, “Rude.”

He let the shove carry him over and fell against the mattress, “Alright, alright. So maybe you aren’t  _ just _ my big, beautiful distraction anymore.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll stay away for a while. Hang out with Shaun and give Cait a break. You can put the word out that I got sent home with my tail between my legs. Lover’s spat or something.”

“Cheeky.”

“Heh. Well, that way I can come back for the final attack all humbled and pathetic. I’ll act so fucking pitiful that nobody will bother keeping an eye on me, and if they think I’m on your shit list, they won’t want to be anywhere near me either. That’ll work out just fine.”

“Yeah.” Nora turned around to pout at him. “Poor,  _ helpless _ Deacon.”

He pouted back. “Had my tender heart broken by the mean ol’ Overboss.”

“It’s a  _ terrible _ shame.”

“I may never recover. She’s solid ice but I just can’t help myself.”

She snorted and giggled, “Yeah, that sounds about right. Cause I’m so vicious and all.”

“We should stage a big scene. I can cry and cling to your leg and the whole nine.”

“There is no way I could do that and not laugh my ass off at you. No way.”

“Hmm… alright, well, how about Strong shows up and bodily throws me out? Just chucks me right into the stupid monorail or whatever.”

“You might get hurt.”

“That’s true. Does he know how to throw someone  _ gently, _ you think?”

“Probably not.”

“Yeah, alright. I’ll come up with something.” He held an arm out for her and tucked her close when she settled against him. “When are we pulling the trigger on all this?”

“I’ll send an encrypted message to Codsworth tomorrow. So, I guess whenever Strong gets here after that.”

“Hmm. So this might be my very last night in your bed.”

She laughed and slapped his chest, “Oh, stop.”

He rolled suddenly, pinning her hands down and waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Are you at least gonna make it a night to remember? Give me something special to look back on when I’m alone and bereft.”

“Sure, if you want. We could play canasta.”

“Classic or dirty?”

“Dirty.”

“Awesome.” He was just about to drop a kiss to her forehead when there was a knock at the door.

“Hey, boss? Got a minute?” Gage’s voice was slightly muffled but unmistakable.

Deacon huffed, “Now what the fuck does he want?”

Nora scowled, “I dunno. He knows once the door is locked he’s not supposed to bother us.”

“Yeah, this is a private party.” He got up off the bed and grinned mischievously. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Roll over, face down like you’re  _ super _ exhausted. Keep your eyes closed.”

“I  _ am _ super exhausted, but why am I doing this?”

“Just do it. I wanna mess with him.”

“Okay, fine.” She rolled over, went completely limp, and sighed. “Good enough?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect.” He quickly took his shorts off and tossed them near the bed. “Don’t look unless you want an eyeful, alright? I’m indecent.”

“Oh, lord. Here we go. Aren’t you a little old to be poking at a bear like this?”

“You would really deny this senior citizen the few joys he has left in these twilight years? That’s just cruel, sweetheart. Don’t be like that.” He ambled over to the door, a certain swagger in his hips, and threw it open wide. “‘Sup, Gage? What can I do you for, buddy?”

His lone eye wandered down Deacon’s body for a minute before a sneer appeared on his face, “Where’s the boss?”

“Oh, Ellie’s a little uh…” He waved a hand around like he was trying to find the right words.  _ “Relaxed _ right now. Kinda indisposed at the moment. What do you need? I’ll tell her when she gets back down from heaven.”

He held up a box. “Some kid from the Pack dropped this off. Said it’s a present from Mason.”

His eyes went to the box and then back to his face. “You opened already it, right? Cause if you think I’m about to hand my lady a bomb or something…”

“Yeah, I opened it. Just some stupid Pack piece of trash and a note. So you gonna give it to her or what?”

“Oh, I’ll give it to her.” He took the present and smiled. “I’ve  _ been _ givin’ it to her, if you know what I mean.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.”

“Nighty-night, Gage. Sleep tight.” Deacon got some kind of annoyed grunt in response and shut the door in his face, turning the lock loudly just to be an extra dick about it.

The box was ordinary from the outside. Something from one of the old gift shops. Red like everything else in this godforsaken place. He shook it but couldn’t make out what was inside.

“Oh, darling? Your not-so-secret admirer left you a dead bird on your doorstep. Isn’t that sweet?”

“Do you have your shorts back on or not?”

Oh, right. “Not. Hang on.” He sat the box down on the bed and tugged on his shorts. “There. Your maidenly gaze will no longer be offended by my sordid nudity, m’lady.”

Nora sat up and laughed, “You really get into the troubadour act, don’t you?”

“What can I say? I was a court jester in a past life.”

“That would make perfect sense if it were true.” She picked up the present and flipped the top open.

“What is it?” Deacon sat next to her and peered into the box. Looked like any other tangled mess to him. “Is that another wind chime? Cause if it is, X6 is gonna be  _ pissed _ that somebody else is out here trying to steal his grandma.”

“No, it’s not a wind chime.” She pulled out the bundle of twine, claws and feathers. “I think it’s… a necklace? Maybe?”

“Hmm.” He plucked the note out and tried to not snicker at the rough handwriting. Illiteracy was no laughing matter to Nora. She’d get all huffy with him if he mocked Mason for being uneducated. “Boss. Just my way of saying I got your back. Wear this and nobody from the Pack will mess with ya. Mason.”

“Well, that’s… thoughtful.”

“Territorial.”

“What?”

“You always mix up territorial with thoughtful. Remember you said Mason and Maxson were the same?”

“Yes.”

“This is his way of marking you as his, just like Maxson having you walk around the Prydwen in his coat was his way of marking you.”

“Oh.” She made a face at the colorful necklace. “Ew.”

“Yeah,  _ ew.” _

Her head tilted and her hand brushed the necklace she was already wearing. “That isn’t why Mac --”

“No. No, no, no. See, he actually loves you. More importantly, he  _ respects _ you. That bullet he gave you was to remind you of him whenever he wasn’t around. Not because it signals to everybody that you  _ belong _ to him. I mean, how many people have seen it and just figured it’s a thing you like to wear, right? There’s really nothing about it that screams ‘Property of MacCready’ at people.”

Aside from the fact that it was one of the kid’s own personal, hand-machined, custom made bullets. It might not scream it to the world, but it probably did to Mac at least. Not that he could really fault him there. He'd probably do the same damn thing if he was in his shoes.

“Oh. Oh, that’s… okay. Good.”

“Not all men are the same.”

“Right. Of course. I knew that.”

“Just the obnoxious, large, caveman types are.”

She nodded, “Makes perfect sense.”

“Yup.”

“So… what do I do with it?”

“Wear it, I guess.”

“I can’t just wear it. It might keep me safe from the Pack, but it’s --”

“Gonna tell the others that you’ve picked a favorite.”

“Right.”

“Hmm. Well, maybe we can kill two birds with one stone here.”

“How?”

“You said your old uniform was giving you heat stroke today, right?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t meant for running around outside. It’s all plastic. Doesn’t breathe at all. I could barely stand it at the opening and I got to stand in an air conditioned space port the whole time.”

“Right… well, maybe it’s time for a new uniform. Everybody knows who you are by now. We can upgrade things a bit.”

“How?”

“Pack necklace. Some of the Operators have those cute little skirts. You said you liked them, right? Disciples wear those rags but we can turn one into an actual top easy enough.”

“It would definitely be easier than --”

“But you gotta wear the boots.”

“Dammit, Deacon.”

“Just in the main park. Those boots are  _ everything.” _

She huffed, “What is it with men and high heels anyway?”

“You will look  _ so fierce _ when we’re done.” He ruffled her hair. “Wear a high ponytail, lots of dark eye makeup. You’ll look like a real raider queen. Strike fear into the hearts of idiots everywhere.”

“Oh, goody.”

“Easier than fighting a new asshole everyday, right?”

“Well, I would like to get away from that.” She mulled it over and sighed, “Alright. Let’s do it.”

“Yay! Dress up time with my favorite paper doll!”

Another sigh, “Yay.”

  
  


_ May 13th, 2289 _

_ The Citadel, Capitol Wasteland _

Curie looked around at the open courtyard inside the A ring and frowned. “Is it always this deserted?”

Ben smirked, “Hardly ever. What’d I say? Radroaches in the light.”

“Are they watching us?”

“No doubt. Probably hiding behind all the ballistic glass just in case. Wave at the top floor windows, darlin’. We’re on Candid Camera.” He turned and waved graciously, “Hi. Hey. Yeah, we know you’re still there, assholes.”

“Very strange behavior.”

“Me or them?”

“Both.”

He snickered, “Come on. We’re gonna be looking for Scribe Rothchild’s terminal. Probably down in the lab still. He’s been around forever and he usually knows of anything sneaky going down. Got his fingers in a lot of pies.”

“You know him personally?”

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, guy hates me. We used to be pretty chill with each other, but then I stopped being useful and he kinda got butthurt over it, I guess.” He shrugged, “Anyway, he’s not a soldier so if we do run into him, it won’t be an issue. I’m just hoping they didn’t ship him off to Addams. That’s a heck of a walk.”

“Addams?”

“Addams air force base. They do a lot of their experiments out there. It’s where they built the Prydwen.”

“Ah.”

They were about to enter the main entrance when a very large man in power armor suddenly appeared and blocked it. “Paladin Morgan.”

“Hey, hey, if it ain’t ol’ quick draw McGraw.” He grinned and it was just a touch vicious, “And it’s  _ Star _ Paladin, actually, if we’re getting technical. Little wedding present from Sarah.”

McGraw’s face went stony. “I thought you lost that distinction when you failed to protect your elder, Morgan. Isn’t that how it works?”

“Oh, I’m still protecting Elder Lyons. Still faithful. _ Forever _ faithful, which is more than any of you assholes can say. Why do you think I got our girl outta here, hmm? Just doing my duty. Keeping her safe from corrupting influences.”

“The only corruption here is you.”

“Maybe so. And yet, I  _ still _ outrank you. I wonder why Artie’s never granted any of you Outcasts a rank higher than knight commander, hmm? You think maybe it’s cause he still doesn’t trust any of you farther than he can kick you in power armor? Or are you guys just _that bad_ at your jobs?”

He didn’t seem to have an answer for that and turned his attention to Curie. “Civilians are not allowed in the Citadel.”

“I’m vouching for her.”

“Not good enough.”

“Who even says she’s a civilian?”

“If she isn’t a civilian, you won’t mind giving me her serial number then.”

“Her number’s none of your goddamn --”

“I am Curie. Serial number CV-081V. I was recruited in the Commonwealth by Knight Captain Cade from Vault 81 for my medical skill.”

“You’re a vault dweller?”

“I was once, yes.”

He scoffed, “Figures. What’s your business here?”

“Resupply. I have come a very long way to be here, Knight. Please step aside.”

“What’s with the accent?”

“My vault was populated by French diplomats living on American soil before the war.  _ Naturellement.” _

Ben was staring at her like he’d never seen her before, but finally blinked and threw his arm around her shoulders. “See? All on the up and up.”

“I thought Cade hated you. Why would he assign you as escort?”

“Guess he hates y’all just a little bit more, huh? Or you’d probably be the one gettin’ to tool around with this cute little recruit yourself, McGraw. Maybe you should sharpen up those people skills a little.” He squeezed her and then let his arm drop. “Now then, as the Codex tells us Elder Theis always said: A brother well-equipped is a brother keeping to his duty. So let us go do our duty, hmm? Why don’t you go find a molerat to interrogate or somethin’. Little buggers get in everywhere. They  _ know too much. _ ”

“You are insane. How you haven’t been chaptered out for mental health is beyond me.”

“Oh, like Artie’s really gonna let you guys mess with his step-daddy? Come on, now.” He ushered her into the building and through a rough concrete foyer into a stairwell before he spoke again. “What was that?”

_ “Pardon?” _

“That! That whole… super secret agent act! Did you just come up with that on the spot?”

“Well… yes?”

“Gonna have to rename you to Odette, slick. Serial number, using Cade’s clout, all that bullshit? Just pulled it right outta your ass?”

“My serial number has always been my serial number.”

“What?”

“I assumed Monsieur Deacon told you.”

“Deacon doesn’t tell anybody anything. Only info I got on you was you’re trustworthy, a genius, French and a doctor. That’s it.”

“Truly?”

“Yup.”

“Oh.” She looked around and whispered, “Is it safe to talk here?”

“About as safe as anywhere else. What’s up, buttercup?”

“I am a synth.”

“Oh. Is that why you’re with the Railroad?”

_ “Non.  _ I am with the Railroad because Madame is with the Railroad and their cause seems worthwhile. My original designation was the Contagions Vulnerability Robotic Infirmary Engineer.  _ Docteur _ Collins created me in Vault 81 to be his lab assistant and named me Curie.”

“So you are actually from a vault. That wasn’t bullshit.”

“I am, but also I am not. This body is relatively new to me. A gift from the Railroad. I am far older than I appear. This year I will turn two hundred and twelve. The first two hundred and ten years of my life, I existed as a modified Miss Nanny in Vault 81. I had been idle for over eighty years when Madame found and rescued me. Then things moved very fast. We traveled the Commonwealth together and I realized I was… limited. I asked her for help and her friend, Glory, was able to provide this body for me to transfer into. G5-19 was in a vegetative state after a failed memory wipe. I was successfully inserted into her body and thus have begun my existence as this.” She frowned to herself, “I had thought I would be able to find more inspiration and have a better understanding of humans were I no longer a robot, but I have found that to not be so. This body’s biological needs are quite distracting and very often get in the way of my research.”

“Biological needs?”

“Sleeping. Eating. Breathing. Requiring proper shelter. These things were not a concern when I was a Miss Nanny. However, this body does have some advantages. Emotions come. My hands are far more sensitive and able to do much more delicate work. Also I have discovered love, which fills me with a great sense of purpose and happiness.”

“Love?”

_ “Oui. _ I love Madame. I love her son, Shaun. They are my family. I love Mac and Cait and many others. I love my sweet Marmalade.”

“Marmalade?”

_ “Mon chaton. _ He lives in Sanctuary.”

“Oh. That's cute.”

“I love the color blue. And red. So bright and cheerful. I love trying new food and learning to cook with Madame. I also have discovered an aptitude for painting and I love to create art. Before, I had things that I enjoyed, but nothing I loved. Although, when I remember  _ Docteur _ Collins, I often feel a pain in my heart. Madame says this is proof of love as well.”

“You were a Miss Nanny turned vault scientist turned synth turned  _ human. _ That’s quite the journey.”

“I am still making my way. The journey is far from over.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. So, what was Vault 81’s experiment?”

“The original experiment was sabotaged by the first Overseer. We were to infect the population with several different pathogens in order to create a universal antiviral medication.”

“Did you succeed?”

_ “Oui. _ In 2204. However, over time, the ingredients degraded. By the time Madame found me, only one dose remained. It was used to save a little boy named Austin who had unfortunately been infected by a descendant of the molerats used in our experiments. I do not have the necessary ingredients to create more, or I would have for Mac’s son.”

“Do you still know the formula though?”

“I do.”

“Can’t you just have those Institute jerks whip up the compounds or whatever?”

“Most were organic in nature. They would have to first recreate the sources.”

“So why can’t they?”

“Madame is in charge of what is left of the Institute. She is understandably wary of giving them such a directive as they have shown they cannot be trusted without constant supervision and while she is quite intelligent, she knows that she does not know enough about science and medicine to provide the appropriate level of oversight for such an endeavor.”

“Couldn’t you do that?”

“I…” Her head tilted, “I had not considered it. I was quite busy until we left. Perhaps I will suggest this when we return.”

“Director Curie has a pretty good ring to it, if you ask me.”

“As does Star Paladin Morgan. This is a very high honor to achieve, yes?”

“Pft. Yeah.” He shrugged and they resumed their trek down into the basement. “A lot of jerks think I earned it on my back, if you know what I mean, but Sarah had the votes for it. It wasn’t just her decision.”

“Earned it on your back?”

He chuckled, “It just means they don’t think I earned it the right way.”

“Ah. But you did.”

“Yup. Saved the world, sacrificed my dad and my old life, almost died a  _ bunch _ of times. I fucking earned that shit the hard way.”

“I am sorry to hear about your father. Were you close?”

“I thought we were, but… after having Mary, I had to rethink a lot of things. Now I’m pretty sure he didn’t care about anything but my mom and her legacy.”

“Are you not her legacy?”

Ben paused at the bottom of the stairs, just inside the steel door, smiling at her. “You’ve really got this human thing on lockdown, Curie. If nobody’s ever told you before, you’re doing great.”

_ “Merci. _ Madame tells me quite often.”

“Well, she sounds like she’s nailing it, too. You dunno if she’s open to adopting lost orphans, do you?”

“Madame has actually quite often spoken of adopting a child in need at some point.”

“That is very good to know.”

He lead them through a large laboratory. There were several workstations that looked to be recently abandoned. Curie immediately recognized the nauseating smell of burning sulfur chloride and turned down the bunsen burner responsible as they passed it. It was far more somber and dark than her own facility below the Castle but still felt somehow familiar. She was surprised by how homesick she suddenly was. This adventure was diverting and interesting, but she truly missed her home. Her equipment and her bed and her friends. She’d just started on plans for creating a  _ quiet _ water filter capable of keeping a large body of water clean, even in the slightly radioactive rain they were still dealing with. Hopefully use it to create a recreational pool for the children of Sanctuary to play in and enjoy during the hot summer months while she and Sturges coordinated efforts on resurrecting pre-war air conditioners so that at least the elderly and infirm could spend their days in comfort.

She hoped they’d be leaving soon or final testing would have to wait another year.

Ben slid into a chair at a terminal and started typing.

“Is this Scribe Rothchild’s terminal?”

“Yup. Idiot never does change his password.” He popped in a holotape from his pocket and kept typing. “Just gonna download a few things. Browse through his internal mail… what’s Madame’s full name, sweet stuff?”

“Eleanor Joan Cabot.”

“Lesse… yup, Knight Cabot. Got her file here… huh.”

“Did you find something?”

“Yeah. Says her relationship status is pending. That’s interesting.”

“What does this mean?”

“Well, if you’re in the Brotherhood and you wanna get down in a serious way with somebody else in the Brotherhood, you have to get clearance for it. You know, superiors have to sign off on things, security levels have to be negotiated, that kinda thing. According to her file, somebody has put in a request to have a relationship with her formally recognized. But until she signs off on the request as well, it shows as pending. See?” He pointed at the screen. “I had to go through all this crap when Sarah finally admitted to herself that I was, in fact, her boyfriend. It was so dumb.”

Curie frowned at the monitor. “Does it indicate who has made the request?”

He shook his head, “Nope. Until it’s official, their privacy is protected. We’d have to --”   


“Does Elder Maxson have a file like this?”

“Yeah, of course he does. Everybody does. Anybody accessing the Elder’s file is gonna get flagged though. They’ll know we were snooping.”

“Madame’s file is not under surveillance as well.”

“Shouldn’t be. She’s just a knight. They’ve got a million of those.”

“Hmm. Is there anything else on her personal life?”

“Uh, lesse… widow. Husband’s listed as… wow, a major. That’s pretty impressive.”

“Monsieur Nate was an exemplary man. He would have to be for Madame to marry him.”

“She’s got high standards, huh? Mac must have told her one whopper of a tale then to get her to even look at him.”

She huffed, “Well, I do not know about all that. I do know the Cabots were very powerful pre-war. Monsieur Nate’s family was not. So, they would not have allowed such a union if he were anything less than exceptional.”

“Huh. Also says she has a son, age ten. He’s flagged as a possible security risk.”

“How dare they!”

“Probably cause he was raised in the Institute, right?”

“Oh… right.”

Ben stared at her and shook his head. “You gotta work on that tell, gorgeous.”

“Tell?”

“You always blink twice and then look down whenever you’re trying to hide something.”

“I am not --”

“You just did it again.”

Curie glowered at him and looked away altogether, “It is not my secret to tell.”

He snorted, “Neither was the engagement one, right? Come on, you can trust me.”

_ “Non. _ It is different. I am sorry but… I would not feel comfortable sharing it with you unless Madame or Monsieur Deacon said it was alright.”

“So Deacon’s involved. Hmm.” His eyes went wide suddenly. “No fucking way.”

_ “Pardon?” _

“No. Fucking. Way.”

“I do not know what you are talking about.”

Ben tugged her down to his level and whispered, “Is her kid a  _ synth? _ Those bastards were  _ making kids?! _ Are you  _ fucking serious?!” _

“I am not anything! I do not know what you are talking about!” Curie jerked away from him and stepped back a few feet, doing her best to not look directly at him as he gaped at her.

“Holy shit. Holy  _ shit. _ If Artie’s actually interested in her and sniffing around, you know he’s gonna find out, right?”

“There is nothing to find out!”

“He will. Listen to me, Curie. He _will._ He’s like a dog with a bone if he smells even a whiff of bullshit. And then… I don’t even know what he’ll do. I really don’t. How many people know?”

“Know what? I still do not know what you are talking about.”

“Curie.  _ Agent Papillon. _ I am asking you as agent of rank here, how many people know?”

She chewed on her lip for a minute, and then sighed. “Madame, of course. Mac. Lieutenant Garvey. Most senior Railroad agents in Boston. Mayor Hancock. All of the Institute scientists --”

“Too many. That’s… too many gums flappin’.  _ Way _ too many people. A group that large can’t keep a secret like this for long. Come on. What the hell was Deacon thinking?”

“It could not be helped.”

“The fuck you say.”

“Truly, it could not.” She pulled a chair close to his and sat down, keeping her voice as low as she could. “Madame’s son, the one the Institute called Father, he was very elderly when she was released from the vault. Already dying. He wanted to give her a second chance at motherhood, so he cloned himself. Shaun is that clone.”

“So he’s a synth or a clone then?”

“He is both. Something new. Above a typical Gen-3. The implant in his head was used to program in a personality and a few memories so he knows she’s his mother. After that, it was permanently disabled. As he is now, for all intents and purposes, he simply  _ is _ her son. Madame and Father were… not on the best of terms when the Institute fell, of course. According to Mac, she had assumed he had the child dismantled --”

_“Dismantled._ Fuck.”

“-- however, when they arrived at the teleporter to leave, he was waiting for her.”

“So she took him.”

“She had to! How could she not? A lost child, begging for his mother to save him… she had to. Most people in the Commonwealth who are not close to her believe that she succeeded in rescuing her son from the Institute. It is hailed as a miracle. But those who are close to her knew of her son’s true age. She was quite heartbroken over it and could not hide it. It is very difficult for her to hide her feelings. So… it could not be helped.”

“Shit. I bet Deacon is freaking out. Internally, anyway. Probably not on the outside.”

“I cannot speak to his state of mind. I can only say that the moment Madame and Shaun were separated from him, he became an unruly, impossible patient to tend to. Multiple escape attempts. Endless complaints and disruptions. I thought I would go mad.”

“He was hurt?”

“ _ Oui, _ during the assault. To my knowledge, he is still in recovery.”

“Huh. But he’s there now, right? With them?”

_ “Oui, _ he hardly ever leaves Madame or Shaun’s side. If he does, X6 is there to stand guard.”

“X6? Another synth?”

“He is Madame’s personal courser. Another gift from Father. He considers her his grandmother, as I do. He is very protective. Very dedicated.”

“Oh, right. That was in the holo Deacon sent. All the synths are genetically linked to the Professor.”

_ “Oui. _ Shaun’s DNA was farmed by the Institute and used to create all Gen-3 synths.”

“That’s a lot of grandbabies.”

She smiled, “I suppose this is true.”

“So Deacon’s taken point then. The top dog himself. He’ll probably be on it until the Brotherhood leaves Boston at least.”

“You think they will? They seem quite comfortable at the airport. As Mac says, they have ‘copped a squat’.”

Ben chuckled, “Yeah, I bet they have. Boston was never supposed to be a target for long term operations though. From what I remember, they were supposed to hit the Institute and then head to New York. If Artie's stalling, then there’s a reason.”

“You believe Madame is the reason.”

He shrugged, “Yeah. It makes sense. She’s pre-war. Got those fancy mutation free genes. Educated and classy. She’s tough enough to build her own empire, and a looker to boot. My guess is he’s decided she’s the next Lady Maxson, he just hasn’t told her yet.”

“She does not like him in that way. Or in any way that I can tell.”

“Nah, that won’t matter to him. Kid’s got tunnel vision. He bought into all that BS about having a soul forged from eternal steel or whatever. Nobody was around to kick him in the pants after I left, so…” He shrugged, “That’s my bad, I guess. Maybe I shoulda stuck around.”

“They would have killed you by now, yes? Mademoiselle Mary is old enough to be a squire. You were not going to allow that to happen. It is better for you to be alive to continue your fight than it is to be dead.”

“Some days it doesn’t feel that way.”

“Well, it is true.”

“He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day, right?”

“Meander.”

“What?”

“The ancient Greek dramatist. It is he who first penned the expression.”

“Huh… I bet you slay at Trivial Pursuit.”

“What is --”

_ “Benjamin!” _

They both jumped at the angry voice from behind them. A man in the long, crimson robes of a scribe stood with his arms folded and a severe frown on his face.

Ben smiled, or winced. It was hard to say. “Hey, there you are. Scribe Rothchild, meet Scribe Curie. Cade sent her.”

He barely looked her way. “Why are you on my terminal?”

“Oh! Is this your terminal?”

“You know it is. I’ve had the same terminal for twenty years!”

“You should really think about an upgrade then, right?”

Rothchild scowled at him, “Get out of my chair.”

“Yes, sir.” He hopped up and switched the computer off, pocketing the holotape as he went. “My bad, Rothchild. My bad. Didn’t mean any harm. Just showin’ off to the new girl. You know how it is.”

“Showing off?”

“My file.” He grinned, “I’m pretty impressive. On paper, anyway.”

He sighed heavily and sat down in his chair. “Goodbye, Benjamin.”

“Yup.” Ben grabbed her hand and they quickly made for the stairwell. “Well, that wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened.”

“My heart is beating very fast!”

“Yeah, gettin’ caught will do that to you.”

“Were you able to get the information you needed?”

“Yup.” They jogged up the stairs together and headed out before he spoke again. “I am famished. Are you hungry? Recon always makes me hungry.”

“I could eat, yes.”

“I know the best place for authentic Capitol Wasteland grub. You game?”

She frowned a bit, “Is it on the way? I am sure Mac is getting more and more worried by the hour.”

“Yeah, sure. It’s uh…” He squinted at the horizon and nodded. “Yeah. You could call it on the way.”

“Then I suppose it is fine.”

“Awesome! Brass Lantern, here we come!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Benji is referring to the film 'Odette'. It's a 1950s British movie about the real life French WWII spy Odette (Codename: Lise) Sansom Hallowes. Heck of a story. 👍


	17. It's What's Inside That Counts

_ May 13th, 2289 _

_ Megaton, Capitol Wasteland _

“Are you sure this is on the way?”

“Of course it is, baby! Would I lie to you?”

“I honestly have no idea. Would you?”

“Aw, so mean. You can’t be so cruel and have the face of an angel. It’s just not fair.”

The gates of Megaton, a city in the wastes built from the salvaged pre-war planes that had rained down over DC in the moments following the bombs dropping, loomed before them. A protectron standing nearby waved at them in a friendly sort of way.

“Welcome to Megaton! Please stand clear of the gate.”

“So kind.  _ Merci. _ I am Curie. It is nice to meet you.”

“Need some grub? Try the Brass Lantern.”

“We are headed there already.”

“Welcome to Megaton! Friendliest town around.”

“Ah… what is wrong with him?”

Ben scratched his head a bit, “I don’t understand the question.”

“He is in a loop of some sort.”

“Oh. Oh, no. He’s fine. That’s just how he’s programmed. Deputy Weld here’s just supposed to be the doorman, I guess.”

“How odd.”

“Never met a protectron before, huh?”

“I have. In Diamond City. Takahashi-kun.”

“Takahashi-kun?”

“He makes the ramen at a place called Power Noodles. Very friendly, although his voice modulator is broken. When I was still a Miss Nanny I was able to communicate with him through his antenna array, but now I cannot. I wonder if Deputy Weld is trying to speak as well, but we cannot understand him because someone has only programmed in so many words.”

“That’s… a good question, actually. I dunno. He’s been here a lot longer than I have. I don’t even know who’s in charge of programming him to be honest.”

“Hmm.” She glanced upward. “There is a sniper above us.”

“Oh, you noticed, huh? Most people don’t. That’s old Stockholm.” He waved and got a curt sort of salute in return. “He keeps an eye on things.”

“The Minutemen also have snipers watching over their settlements.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“In Sanctuary, we have Mac, of course, and also Jun Long.”

“Who’s that?” The gates began to open and he had to raise his voice a bit to be heard over the screeching metal.

“A very kind man. He lost his son to raiders at Quincy. Very sad. Monsieur Deacon taught him how to shoot so he could help protect the children of Sanctuary in his honor.”

He laughed, “Sounds like Deaks is gettin’ a little soft in his old age. Does he live there or something?”

“He says he does. There is a house. ‘Casa del Deacon.’ I have never seen him sleep in it.”

“Huh. How many kids in Sanctuary anyway?”

“Once Duncan arrives and the Hunts have their baby, the total will be seventeen.”

“Seventeen kids in one place?”

_ “Oui.” _

“I don’t think even Lamplight ever got that high. And you said there’s a school and whatnot, right? Like, a real school?”

“Of course! There is also a playground and Madame supervises several extracurricular activities for the children as well.”

“Like what?”

“Hmm, there was an Egg Hunt for Easter. Christmas, of course, was spectacular. Presents and candy and so many lights! I made a skating rink which was very amusing. Several dances throughout the year. She also has a large holo collection and there is a movie projector set up for special occasions. There has been talk of resurrecting Halloween as well.”

“So no cake bake-offs or Hide the Mutant?”

“No, but there was a Cake Walk once. What is Hide the Mutant?”

He shrugged, “Just a thing we used to play in the vault. Probably not as much fun as the stuff you guys do.”

“If it is a new game, I would love to hear about it so we can introduce it to the children.”

Ben headed down the slope into town, “Maybe. So it’s just families in Sanctuary?”

“Non. We have several people who do not have children or spouses. Mademoiselle Cait, for example, only enjoys children in small doses and has no interest in romantic relationships.”

“I think you’ve mentioned her before. What’s she do there?”

“She runs the Grapes of Wrath. It is the ah… local watering hole, as she says. Very nice. Right on the water. I have only been a few times, but the atmosphere is enjoyable and the food is adequate. For many travelers, it is their first stop when they arrive.”

“Huh.”

“Mademoiselle Cait also serves on the Tribunal with Madame and Madame Long.”

“Tribunal?”

_ “Oui. _ It is quite rare for there to be a serious problem between residents in Sanctuary, but when there is, the ladies convene and decide what to do. Strong is their enforcer.”

“Strong?”

“Madame’s super mutant friend. He is quite large. I have tried befriending him a few times but it is quite difficult.”

“You know, I had a super mutant friend once. Fawkes. Hell of a guy.”

“Did he also enjoy Shakespeare?”

“Yeah, actually, he did. Philosophy was more his thing, but he was known to read the Bard now and again.”

“Strong is particularly enamored with MacBeth.”

“Interesting choice.”

“What happened to your friend?”

He shrugged, “I hope nothing. He headed south a while ago. Said he’d always wanted to see the Galapagos Islands.”

“In Ecuador?”

“The very same.”

“That is quite a walk!”

“Yeah, no shit. It’s the swimming part that always worried me.”

Curie laughed, “Surely he will find a boat!”   


“I dunno. A boat big enough for a super mutant?” Ben puffed out his cheeks and took a few large, exaggerated steps. “Do they even make boats that big?”

“You are very silly.”

“Thanks.” He stopped and pointed up at a neon sign with Chinese writing. “Well, here we are. The Brass Lantern.”

“The sign says ‘Ming Fast Food’.” There was a unoccupied bar outside the main restaurant. Curie looked around and noted that it was in an ideal location for catching traffic off the main gate. Then she noticed the large puddle of water nearby with it’s odd protrusion and her eyes went wide.  _ “Mon dieu. _ Is that… is that a bomb?”

“Oh, yeah, the famous bomb. It’s where Megaton got its name.”

She gaped at it and then at him. “And they are content to simply leave it there? Right in the middle of town?!”   


“Yeah, it’s pretty nuts. Of course…” He glanced around and then leaned over to whisper. “I heard this crazy kid stumbled out of a vault and deactivated it for them a while back. For  _ free. _ Unbelievable, right?”

Curie frowned thoughtfully, “It was you? Were you this kid?”

“Maybe. I dunno. Different lifetimes.”

“Did you have any knowledge of explosives or nuclear science?”

“Nah, not really. I helped spiff up the vault reactor a few times with my buddy, Stanley, though.”

“That was a very dangerous thing for you to do.”

“Most nineteen year olds don’t care much about danger.”

“It would have been unstable. You could have been killed.”

“Yeah, well… that kid showed up here with a few bullet holes and a whole new outlook on life. Death wasn’t exactly lookin’ too bad at the time.”

“You did a very noble thing. Placing yourself in harm’s way for the good of others.”

“Well… I got a house here out of it. So, you know, don’t go painting me as a saint just yet.”

“You live here?”

“Technically, no. Butchie lives in my house. I’m more… nomadic. Keeps the heat off of ‘em.”

“Ah.”

“Anyway…” He opened the door and held it for her. “After you, mademoiselle.”

_ “Merci.” _

Curie stepped through and paused just inside, waiting for him to again take the lead. They ended up at a table near the back and she noticed the people here didn’t treat him with the same dismissive derision the Brotherhood or even Mac and his family had exhibited. People smiled at him, called him by his name, a few thumped him on the back as they passed.

He was liked in Megaton.

“You seem quite popular here. I wonder why you ever left.”

“I wonder that myself a lot. Shoulda just stayed working for Moira. Kept my head down. Save the world through kooky experiments and half-assed science.”

“Moira… is this Moira Brown? The woman who wrote the Wasteland Survival Guide?”

“Yeah, you read it?”

“I have! I did not, at first, because the drawings were very crude in the issues I saw and I did not think there was anything of value in them, but Mac explained there are science articles as well! I have decided to try and collect them all to add to the library at Sanctuary.”

Ben pouted at her, “What’s wrong with the drawings? I worked really hard on those.”

“You worked on it?”

“Well, yeah! I’m listed as the main author on volume one, baby! Sheesh.”

“I have not seen this volume.”

“Oh. Alright. Forgiven. My name’s right on the inside cover. Benjamin James Morgan.”

“Esquire.”

“Hey, yeah! You remembered!”

“I highly doubt I will ever forget a single moment of our time together.”

“Ha. I knew you were falling for me.”

Curie frowned, “I am not --”

“Hey, Leo! How you been, brother?”

A tall, redheaded man with a full beard set down two beers in front of them and smiled at him. “Can’t complain. How’ve you been, Benji?”

“Ah, you know me. Same old, same old.”

“Yeah.” He nodded to Curie. “This business or pleasure?”

He grinned, “Remains to be seen.”

Curie huffed, “Business.”

Leo chuckled, “Alright, what can I get you guys?”

“What’s Jenny got cookin’ that’s special?”

“Jenny is off tonight, but Sean’s got somethin’... uh, hang on, lemme think.”

“Take your time.”

Curie watched him close his eyes and concentrate. She was about to ask if he was alright, but a hand on her knee had her looking at Ben, who shook his head, so she simply waited.

“It’s Macaroni Surprise Casserole, pears with punga sauce and Mississippi Quantum pie for dessert!” He opened his eyes again, “Ha. I knew I could remember.”

“Nice job, man. What’s the surprise?”

“Cave fungus and mirelurk.”

“Oh, damn, that doesn’t sound half bad. Sure, we’ll take two of those.”

“Comin’ up.”

Ben watched him go and smiled at Curie, “Thanks for not sayin’ anything.”

“Does he often forget things? A brain injury of some sort?”

“Yes and yes. Leo used to have a bit of a chem problem. Been clean a long time, but the older he gets --”

“The worse his memory becomes. This is common among long term Jet users.”

“Yeah. It’s a shame, but at least this is a family business. Not like they’d ever fire him. Jenny’s his sister and his brother owns the joint.”

“Is their other cook related to them as well?”

“Who, Eclair?”

“I thought he said Sean.”

“Oh, he did. That’s Eclair’s grown up name. Came outta Lamplight. Same graduating class as Mac.”

“Do you call all the Lamplighters you know by their childhood nicknames?”

“No. Just the ones I like. Anyway, Eclair’s been cooking since he was like, thirteen, maybe? So prepare to have your socks knocked all the way off, beautiful.”

She took a polite sip of beer and wished it were Nuka or, better yet, water. She still had never quite figured out why humans wanted to fill their bodies with unnecessary liquids. All one ever truly needed was water, and coffee, of course.

“It is a nice restaurant.”

“Yeah, it is. Nicer than the Saloon, anyway. That’s no place for a lady, even with Gob running the joint.”

“Gob?”

“Megaton’s sole resident ghoul. Took over the place after its previous owner uh… disappeared. He’s really nice. You’d like him. It’s just the Saloon itself is more… adult in nature? I didn’t think you’d enjoy it.”

“Adult in nature?”

“Yeah, it’s um… well, there are rooms upstairs that you can, ya know, rent? And those rooms come with certain amenities.”

“Amenities? Like newspapers and radios?”

“What?”

“The Rexford in Goodneighbor has started including amenities with their rooms. They now provide you with soap, clean towels, radios, newspapers if one has been published. I believe Clair got the idea from Madame. Pre-war hotels had lots of amenities!”

“Uh… that’s nice. Yeah.”

“Are we staying there tonight?”

“What?”

“Are we getting a room there for tonight? Is this why you mentioned it?”

_ “You _ wanna get a room with  _ me _ at Gob’s?”

“Well, it is getting late. Mac says traveling at night is dangerous because bad guys can more easily hide and --”

“Uh-huh.” Leo showed back up with their plates and Ben helped him set them on the table. “Hey, guess what?”

“What?”

“This little cutie just asked to get a room with me. At  _ Gob’s.” _ He waggled his shoulders a little. “Do I still got it, or what?”

Leo frowned at him, “She’s a little outta your league, isn’t she? You didn’t slip somethin’ in her beer, did you? You know how Jenny feels about that stuff.”

“I didn’t! I would never!”

“M’hmm.” He smiled at Curie, “Let me know if you need anything else… like an escort to the bunkhouse. Don’t let this one fool you, there’s plenty of places for a woman to sleep here in Megaton that don’t involve him.”

“Hey!”

_ “Merci.” _

“Benji, behave yourself. Don’t go scaring away new customers.”

Ben scowled at him as he walked away. “Everybody’s always gotta fuck with my flow.”

Curie took a bite of the warm, mysterious concoction in front of her. Madame made casseroles quite often, but she had never had one like this before. It tasted overwhelmingly of mirelurk. So much so that her eyes nearly watered.

“This is… potent.”

He’d already shoved down several forkfuls. “You don’t like it?”

“I was expecting something a little less… fishy.”

“Oh, yeah. Well. Megaton’s kinda far from the coast. Most of the mirelurk they use here has been preserved, so it kinda packs a punch.”

“Ah.”

“You don’t have to eat it if you don’t like it.”

_ “Non, _ it is fine. Lots of protein and carbohydrates. The body needs these things. The pears look very nice. I will try those next.”

“Hmm.” He took a swig off his beer. “Is that how you see food? Just as fuel?”

“Usually, yes.”

“Usually?”

“Sometimes food is used to convey feelings. Then it is not fuel for the body, but rather for the heart, yes? Like, when Monsieur Deacon came back to Sanctuary, Madame made sure to make his favorite dishes as often as possible to bring him cheer. And on my first birthday, I was treated to a wonderful mutfruit  _ tartelette. _ It was very good!”

“You’ve got a birthday?”

_ “Oui. _ The tenth of March. It is the date I was downloaded into this body.”

“Ah. A Pisces. That explains  _ so _ much. I’m a fellow water sign myself. Cancer. The crab. Pinchy-pinch.”

“Astrology is  _ not _ a proper science.”

“Maybe, but look at you. A classic beauty, complex, empathetic, a little naive. You’re a perfect Pisces.”

“I do not know how to respond to this. Everything you are saying sounds nice, but it is all nonsense.”

“You’re supposed to sit there and look pretty while I put my best moves on you.”

“I thought were supposed to be eating.”

“Ah, you got me.” He looked over her shoulder and smiled, “Here comes trouble.”

“Trouble?”

She turned and watched as a little girl came over. Maybe ten. Tall and gangly with large brown eyes and messy blond curls cut into a cute bob that framed her face nicely. She looked well cared for and happy to see them.

“Hey, Cat.”

“You’re home!” She hugged Ben tightly. “Deputy Harden said he saw you!”

“Yeah, well, he inherited his dad’s eagle eye. How you been, kiddo?”

“Good! Pops is letting me work in the shop now.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah! I get five caps a day for sweeping.”

“Nice. Way to hustle. This here’s my friend, Curie. She’s a fellow conductor. Give her a little choo-choo.”

“Ooooh. Neat.” Cat stuck her hand out, “Hi! I’m Cat.”

_ “Enchanté, _ Mademoiselle Cat.”

“Whoa, cool voice.”

“Ah!  _ Merci! _ It is very nice of you to say so!”

“Curie here’s from Boston.”

“Does everybody talk like that in Boston?”

He snorted, “Nah. She’s special.”

“Oh. Well, anyway, it’s nice to meet you.”

“It is lovely to meet you as well.”

Her attention turned back to Ben, “Are you guys staying over? Or do you have to leave tonight?”

“Well… the thing is, darlin’, we’re kinda on a tight schedule and --”

“We can stay.” Ben and Cat both looked at her and she smiled at how similar their faces were. Especially around the eyes. The Morgans clearly had strong genes. If the Brotherhood could not figure out this was his child, they were truly dense. “It is late already. I am sure Mac has already assumed we are not going to be back until tomorrow. He would want us to stay someplace safe.”

“Oh. Okay then. Well, I guess we can stay.”

“Great! I’ll go let Pops and Waddy know.”

“Awesome. We’ll see you in a bit.”

They watched her go and Curie was momentarily taken aback at the wistful expression on his face. “She is charming. You must miss her terribly when you are gone.”

“Yeah. Well… people I love tend to have higher life expectancies if I’m not around, so… it’s just better this way.”

“I am sure this is not true.”

“I’m sure it is.”

“She calls your friend Pops?”

“Yeah. Completes the image.”

“This must be difficult to bear.”

“Nah, I mean… Butchie was always her godfather, so it’s…”

“Better this way, too?”

“Yeah.”

“I do not believe this is so. I am sure your friend is a competent guardian, but you are still her father.”

“Eh.”

“Your sacrifice here is monumental. To set aside your own ego and deliberately forego a typical father-daughter relationship in order to keep her safe is… extraordinary. I find you quite extraordinary, Ben. You are a wonderful parent. Perhaps on the same level as Mac or even Madame.”

He whistled, “Now there’s some high praise. You’re gonna have me blushin’ if you keep that up.”

“It is not praise. It is only a statement of facts.” She took another bite of the casserole and immediately regretted it. Somehow she’d managed to forget how pungent it was. “Who is Waddy, if you please?”

“Oh! That’s my… I mean, that’s Butch’s Mister Handy. Came with the house.”

“Waddy is a unique name for a Mister Handy.”

“It’s Wadsworth, or it was. Then Ma -- uh,  _ Cat  _ came along and it was too hard for her to say, so…”, he shrugged.

_ “Charmante.” _

“Yeah, I guess.”

He still seemed sad to her. No longer the erratic, boastful, babbling man she’d come to know. He was now quiet and still. Subdued. An introspective, tragic air about him.

Curie wondered if this was the real him. Madame had once told her that the persona Monsieur Deacon presented to the world was not his true self. That when it was just the two of them, he was often this way. That she pretended not to notice because it would be rude to acknowledge the difference, but that it was, in fact, quite marked. Perhaps this is why he and Ben had managed to establish an odd sort of camaraderie and friendship despite the distance and age difference between them.

Would Madame like Ben as much? Her head tilted a little as she thought it over. Certainly she seemed at home around more eccentric types. Of all her friends across the wastes, there were perhaps only a handful who seemed to be what most people would consider normal. Lieutenant Garvey was one. A man so genuinely kind and unflappable that everyone thought of him as their friend, even when he was technically their commanding officer. Mademoiselle Cait, as well, had friends everywhere she went, despite her well-known temper and penchant for violent outbursts. Although, she had to admit that those had toned down considerably since she’d given up chems.

But most of Madame’s friends were simply, in the kindest way possible,  _ odd. _ Even Maire Hancock, charming and debonair to a fault, had a darkness in him that put the average settler on edge. Detective Valentine exuded melancholy in a way that made most people avoid him altogether unless they had a proper reason to seek out his help. Mademoiselle Piper looked at the world with eyes and wit too sharp for most to handle. X6 terrified people just by standing there looking stern, which Curie had never been able to figure out. Even those who did not know of his past as a courser were afraid of him turning his gaze to them. Most peculiar.

But Madame loved them all. Claimed them as family and thus it was so. Gathered them all around her and treated each as someone who needed protecting. None more so than Monsieur Deacon.

She knew for a fact that Madame and Mac had had several long, loud, sustained arguments about him. She could be quite stubborn under the right circumstances, but almost never with Mac, except in this one area. She absolutely refused to see why Deacon’s continued familiarity and possessiveness should aggravate him. Which was silly, since even Curie could see the reason why.

Mac clearly viewed him as a threat to their relationship. Even now. Perhaps no longer in a romantic sense, as Madame had never once had eyes for anyone but him. But he was smart enough to realize of all her friends, Monsieur Deacon was the one who held the most sway over her. If he were to ever decide Mac was not a proper partner for Madame, there was a considerable chance that she would listen.

She would be sad. Heartbroken, even, but she would listen. How could she not when he was the person she most relied on to keep her heart safe? Monsieur Deacon had been there the longest, save Codsworth and Dogmeat. He’d guided her through the wastes, helped her adapt, gave her a purpose and a cause to rally behind.

As much as Curie hated to admit it, Madame most likely would have been lost without him. Either to the innumerable dangers one faced in this world, or perhaps even succumbed to the despair and hopelessness she’d felt after leaving the vault.

Certainly she’d have been unable to rescue Detective Valentine without him. She never would have been bold enough on her own to allow Piper to interview her that first time. Madame was far too modest to talk about herself like that. She’d never have gone to a place like the Combat Zone and thus never have met Cait. Never would have thought an important, busy man like Maire Hancock would want to be her friend had he not pushed her towards it.

All the settlements she’d carved out of nothing, Monsieur Deacon had been there. Quite often scoffing at the Minutemen in general, but always at her back. Always quietly supportive of whatever she wanted to do, always encouraging her.

Why, she would perhaps have never even realized her cousins were alive were it not for him mentioning Cabot House to her in passing.

When you thought about it, Monsieur Deacon was even responsible for her and Madame’s relationship. He’d been the one to talk their way into her vault  _ and _ the one who convinced Glory to allow the transfer to happen.

Madame sometimes referred to him as her guardian angel. Curie was just now starting to wonder exactly how adept that description was.

“Ben?”

“Hmm?”

“Would you tell me how it is that you came to meet Monsieur Deacon?”

He chuckled, “Trying to feel him out, huh?”

“Ah… well…”

“Good luck with that, sweetheart. I’m not even sure he knows who he is.”

“Maire Hancock says he does not.”

He snorted, “Then I take it back. He definitely does.”

“I do not understand.”

“People only see what he wants them to see. That’s his whole thing. So… if somebody thinks they have him figured out, they definitely don’t. He’s just showing them bits and pieces so they  _ think _ they have a handle on him. He’s brilliant that way. Makes it possible for him to fit in anywhere, be anybody. Be friends with anybody… if he wants to. He usually doesn’t want to. He’s the person who taught me if people think of you and get aggravated, then they won’t want to think of you and then it’s easier to slip in and out of places you aren’t really supposed to be. Makes you invisible.”

“Do you believe he is incapable of genuine affection and friendship?” This was an accusation quite often tossed his way by several of Madame’s more observant friends. That the was truly some kind of psychopath.

“Well… that’s a hard question. Certainly, I’d like to think he is. I’d like to think we’re buds and… we have a lot in common, you see, so…”, he shook his head. “But then again, I dunno. Maybe it’s all a con. Maybe he’s just who I wanna see when I look at him. Like a chameleon or something. When he met me, I was kinda… in need of a father figure, I guess. Somebody strong and savvy that I could rely on. That’s who he is to me even now that I’ve seen behind the curtain, so…”

“Someone strong and savvy that you could rely on.”

“Yeah.”   


“I believe he is this person for Madame as well.”

“Huh. Well, then maybe that really is him. Or maybe she and I are just suckers for that persona.” Ben shrugged, “I dunno.”

“So...your first meeting, please?”

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

“This is agreeable.”

“Okay. Well, lesse...I was maybe twenty? Somewhere around there. I’d finally made it from 101 to Rivet City. Trying to track down my dad, you know. I found his old lab partner, Dr. Li, and she was --”

_ “Pardon. _ Docteur Madison Li?”

“Yeah.” He frowned, “Wait, you’ve heard of her?”

“Ah…  _ oui?” _

“Hold up. Is she in Boston right now?”

_ “Oui.” _

“Sonofabitch. I thought she’d died. She just up and disappeared one day, so I just assumed --”

_ “Non. _ She works in the laboratory beneath the Castle.  _ My _ laboratory, actually.”

“Huh. Small fuckin’ world.”

“So it would seem.”

“Well… anyway, if you know her, you know how she is. Kinda cold and cranky. She was pretty aggravated to see me hanging around again. I guess… I dunno. I could never figure out if she and my dad had a thing or not. Or maybe she had the hots for my mom?” He shrugged, “It was a weird vibe, that’s all I know. She gave me a few odd jobs, mostly to keep me outta her hair. Had no idea where my dad was and definitely did  _ not  _ want to sit around reminiscing about him with me. Since that was a bust, I started asking around her various lab assistants. That’s how I met this super skeevy fuck named Dr. Zimmer.”

“The head of the Synth Retention Bureau?”

“Yeah, actually. How’d you know that?”

“I was given a great deal of Institute data to sift through following its destruction. His name was often referenced.”

“Oh. So they never replaced him then?”

“There was a man. The acting director of the SRB. Ayo. He was not well liked, even in the Institute. Father would not grant him the full title.”

“Heh. That’s funny. Especially since Zimmer’s been dead going on… oh, about a decade now.”

“Goodness.”

“Yeah. Anyway. So I meet Zimmer and he gives me his spiel. Tells me they’re there to hunt down some advanced robot. Him and his buddy, Armitage.” He used his hands to put quotations around the name. “Guy was actually a courser. S3-47. First one I ever popped. You never forget it.”

“Did you also ah… pop Docteur Zimmer?”

“Who’s to say?”

“Ah…”

“So they tell me this android is super dangerous. Lethal. Some fancy schmancy prototype who got confused and thinks he’s a person. Sounded like a bunch of bullshit to me, but they were offering to pay a crazy amount of caps, so I took the job. Said if I heard anything, I’d let ‘em know.”

“Even though he was ‘skeevy’?”

“Sure. I needed the caps to run my own search and rescue mission, right? Finding my dad was my sole purpose in life back then. I would’ve done anything to get to him. Stupid. It was stupid. I shoulda just let him stay a fucking dog.”

Curie frowned,  _ “Pardon?” _

“Don’t worry about it, baby. Point is, I made the deal with Zimmer, rented a room and got a couple hours of sleep in. Then I wake up to this guy sitting across from my bed. Sunglasses on in the dark, reflecting the candles all spooky. Thought I was dreaming for a sec, but I wasn’t. It was Deacon.”

“It is a wonder you did not shoot him.”

“Well, he’d already disarmed me before he woke me up. Had a gun on me. My own damn gun, actually. Asked me what the fuck I thought I was doing helping the Institute. That I was too smart for that and whatever they’d promised me was a lie. Told me my dad would be ashamed of me. Really gave me the business over it. I was shocked. I just let him rant and then I said ‘you mean it’s real?’ and he kinda backed off. He realized I’d thought Zimmer was  _ nuts _ and had only taken his caps because I needed caps. I wasn’t some kind of slaver or whatever. He was a little more friendly after that. We got to talkin’ and he explained how shit really was. How the Institute had cracked the code on true AI and were using it to manufacture slaves. That I’d already met one, Armitage. That he was courser and that the synth they were hunting was actually the OG courser. A prototype, sure, but the first synth of that level to go rogue. I guess it was more common among the worker bee types, but coursers were supposed to be special. Above things like that. So when A3-21 bolted on them, it scared them shitless. He’d left behind a holotape and Deacon let me listen to it. He said ‘Self determination is  _ not  _ a malfunction.’, and I was just… blown away. Angry all over again at my fellow man for doing something so fucked up. At that point in my life, I felt like every goddamn time I discovered something new about humanity, it was something fucked up. I was so tired of it. When I was a kid in the vault, we were taught to be afraid of the outside world, sure, but… I still had hope. My dad had always talked about the good in people and blah blah blah, but once I got out here, it was hard to see any. And what I did see never amounted to much. Moira and her batcrap crazy experiments. The Stahls struggling to save their brother. The Regulators picking off bad guys so long as they got paid for it. It all just seemed… useless. Pointless. Dumb.”

She nodded, “The outside world can quite often be frustrating.”

“Yeah, no shit. So I told Deacon how fucking tired I was of bad guys always running the show. Always fucking things up for everybody else. He asked me if I’d like to help this synth and I said I absolutely would. I just… I wanted to win one for the little guy, you know? For once. A  _ clean _ win. I’d had to run away from Paradise Falls already. Wasn’t ready to take on a whole army of slavers yet, but I thought… two guys? I could probably swing that.”

“Ah. So you did get rid of them.”

“Well… we did, really. That’s two bodies they’ll  _ never _ find.” He winked, “Deacon had his own shit to do, so he handed me off to a local agent. She called herself Victoria back then. Goes by a different name now, of course. She’s the one who explained the situation in depth. Told me a guy in Rivet City used to do work for the Railroad before he’d disappeared. They’d changed A3’s face and given him a new identity. Wanted me to get rid of any evidence of it so Zimmer would give up and leave. So I did. Took a lot of doin’. Thing was, dude still wouldn’t leave. Even when I showed him A3’s old courser chip thing. So… Deacon wasn’t around, Vicky had taken off on some other job. I didn’t know what the hell to do. I thought to myself, the Railroad’s all about freedom. This synth has the right to know they’re a synth and that they’re being hunted. So I told him.”

“You told a wiped synth about his past?”

“Nah, he wasn’t really wiped, per se. They dunno how to do that down here. See, he originally escaped without the Railroad’s help and arrived here standard issue. Fresh from the factory, as it were. The people he found to help him here were kinda at a loss so, he’d just been… overwritten? They gave him the memories of some pre-war combat veteran out of a vault. He thought he’d been in a coma since before the war. But the original him was still in there and I knew both of them were badasses, so… we talked. Took some convincing, but he finally remembered everything. Said we had to get rid of Zimmer or it would never stop. The Institute would never stop. I told him the man he was now wouldn’t do something like that. He’s too pure for that. But I wasn’t. So I did. I got rid of them both, he helped me get away with it. And that was all she wrote. By the time Deacon came back, he’d already heard everything. Decided I had what it took to be the head of intel down here, and so, Agent Omega was born.”

“What happened to the synth?”

“He’s still kickin’. You met him, you just didn’t know you met him. Which is how it’s supposed to be.”

“Hmm.”

“You don’t wanna ask who it is?”

“That would violate the Railroad’s --”

_“Harkness!_ It’s Harkness. Crazy, right? Can you imagine that guy as a  _ courser? _ Mister Lawful Good dragging some poor schlub kicking and screaming back to those monsters? Just goes to show how twisted the whole thing was.”

“Harkness? The head of Rivet City security?”

“Yup. Head of security. City council member. Upstanding citizen, and uh… don’t tell Bry, but he’s totally hooking up with his aunt on the downlow. It’s supposed to be a secret but, well, there are no secrets in the Capitol Wasteland from me.”

“Goodness.”

“Yeah.”

“What was Monsieur Deacon doing here in the first place?”

“Oh, well… he’s head of all intel. So sometimes he has to check in with the different splinter cells to make sure shit’s doing alright. Everything’s so compartmentalized, he’s the only person who actually knows where all the cells are or how many people are really in the Railroad. To be honest, for a long time I kinda thought maybe he’d made the Boston branch up. That it was just really him. Or three hims in a trenchcoat, you know.” He laughed, “But then you showed up! So… I guess they really do exist.”

_ “Oui, _ they do.”

“Does everybody have weird names or is that just something he tricked me into?”

“Some are odd. Some are not.”

“Huh.”

“Does he come here often?”

“Yeah, actually. He used to come every year. Hang around for a while. Once we met, he’d always bum around with me. Said I went everywhere and knew everybody so it was just easier that way. We’d nose around the Citadel, get silly with Butchie in Rivet City until Harkness would kick us out. Check in with a few operatives here. Go to Lamplight and play Santa for the kids…”

“He went to Lamplight?”

“Oh, yeah. That was always like, priority number… well, not one, but it was up there. He never failed to show up with a huge box of toys and comics and caps for the kids. He’s a sucker for kids, you know.”

“Is this how he originally met Mac?”

“Yeah, I think it was. Mac never really… took to him, exactly. Even tried to shoot him a few times. They’re both so fond of running their mouths and whatever. It was always funny to watch. Mac would sass him the second we showed up. Always called him a pervert for liking kids so much. Lucy would inevitably get between them and tell Mac to mind his manners. Then she’d turn right around and tell Deaks that if he ever so much as  _ looked _ at one of her kids funny, she’d gut him. Ha.”

“Their relationship has not changed much then. Although Mac certainly has more restraint now.”

“Heh. I’m just surprised Deacon finally stopped trying to recruit him for the Railroad. For a while there, he was bound and determined it was gonna happen. Always said Mac was too smart for just regular merc work. That he had a lot of untapped potential. He kinda backed off a little after Lucy and him had Duncan though, of course. People with families don’t usually do this kinda work. The Professor and I are exceptions to that rule, I guess.”

“Does he visit often?”

“Yeah. Yeah, right up until around the time Lamplight burned. Then the visits kinda dropped off. Last visit was before your Madame woke up, but that makes sense if she’s his new project.” He pouted, “Gotta admit, I’m a little jealous. Kinda feels like Daddy has a new favorite.”

“If it helps, I do not believe she views him as a father figure.”

“Thank you, honey bunny. It does help.”

“If anything, he treats her as if she is his wife.”

His eyebrows went up high enough that they nearly met his hairline. “Seriously?”

_ “Oui. _ They are very… familiar with each other. She is the only person who can possibly control him. A single look from her and he is suddenly a perfect gentleman.”

“Since always, or just since Mac hit the scene?”

“Since always. Why?”

“Oh, I just wasn’t sure if he was motivated purely by spite or not. He must really like her to give her the queen’s space.”

“Pardon?”

“Life’s a game if you know how to play it. He said that to me once. Said I should do what I could to cultivate relationships and think of those relationships as pieces on a chessboard. Some are just pawns that you don’t put a lot of faith in, some are more important and need more power or protection, depending on what they bring to the game. If she’s somebody he actually listens to, then she’s pretty high up there. Probably the queen.”

“And he is the king then?”

Ben snorted, “Nah. The king’s the thing you wanna protect. He told me he’s always seen himself more as a knight. Mobile. Unpredictable. Aggressive. The queen’s more flexible and can move around the board as she pleases. She draws the eye. Then the knight can swoop in and obliterate obstacles before they get close to her.” He tilted his head and considered her face, “You’re probably a bishop or a rook. Somebody predictable and steady that he can move in certain directions.”

“Are you saying I am easily manipulated?”

“Well...aren’t you?”

“I am not!”

“Deacon wanted to go home to Nora, right? Take his place as queen’s knight and...I dunno what the kid would be. Maybe he’s the king here? Who knows. So what’d he do? I bet he asked you first, right? To go home? Real polite and nice.”

“That is true. He did. Several times.”

“Uh-huh. And when you said no, I bet you were real reasonable about it, right? Probably said he was too hurt --”

“Medically fragile. He was too medically fragile to be moved such a distance.”

“Yup. Which he knew you’d say. So then what? He does a one-eighty on you, right? I bet you guys were friends before, weren’t you?”

His charming smile and the kind way he always helped her with her experiments. The evenings spent together reading and conversing in French after long days of struggling through with English.  _ “Oui.” _

“Uh-huh. So he flips the script. Doing it the nice way didn’t work, so he went full brat on you. I bet he even broke a bunch of shit, right? That’s what I woulda done. Endless tantrums and just being completely rude and unreasonable.”

“He did! He broke many things in my laboratory! I still do not even know how he managed to get down the stairs on his own!”

“Mind over matter, baby. Nobody’s got willpower like Deacon’s got willpower. And it all worked, right? You were probably chomping at the bit to get him away there at the end.”

“I… there was one last argument. I was beside myself. He had attempted to steal power armor,  _ again, _ and I was just so very frustrated… Lieutenant Garvey wished to avoid bloodshed, so when Paladin Danse offered the use of his vertibird, I… I simply climbed into it. I did not even hesitate.”

“Wow. You, a  _ synth, _ just pranced that ass right into a  _ Brotherhood _ vertibird, huh? Didn’t even think about it.”

“I did not.” She sat there with her mouth gaped open for a moment. “How did I not realize this was all a manipulation?”

“How’d he treat you once you got to Sanctuary?”

“He… he was very nice again. Kind. He tried several times to make up with me but I did not allow it. I would not allow him in my presence and whenever he tried to speak to me, I would leave the room or have X6 intervene on my behalf. Madame took over his care.”

“Aw. Poor Deacon. I bet he really regrets sacrificing your piece.”

“I am not a piece on a chessboard!”

“I know that. You know that. Does Deacon know that?” He shrugged, “I dunno. I’d have to see this groveling in person.”

Curie frowned thoughtfully. “He did teach Shaun  _ Au Clair de la Lune _ to sing for me. I… do you think he truly regrets what he did?”

“I would.”

“You would?”

“Yeah. Even if I weren’t, you know,  _ interested, _ I’d still regret burning a bridge with somebody like you.”

She felt blood rush into her face and covered her cheeks with her hands, a little surprised at the heat there. “You are interested?”

“I… well, yeah, baby. Shit. How thick do I need to spread it?”

“I thought you were just being silly.”

“Silly. Fuck.” He shook his head, “I must be really rusty, huh? Damn.”

“Mac said that you were coming onto me but I did not believe him.”

“Why not?”

“Most men are not interested in me beyond how I look. I am used to this. They get to know me and their interest wanes. It is always thus.”

“Sounds like you’re surrounded by a bunch of idiots up in Massachusetts.” He set his hand on her head and gave her a remarkably sincere smile when she went even pinker. “As nice as your chassis is, and it  _ definitely _ is, the inside stuff’s where’s it’s at. That’s where all the tasty bits are. Anybody with a brain should be able to pick up on that.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what to say to such a thing and could only stare at him until he finally looked away and let his hand fall from her hair.

Ben cleared his throat a bit and kept his eyes on his plate. “So... that’s me and Deaks. How’d y’all meet?”

Curie blinked. She’d somehow completely forgotten what they’d been talking about. Her face felt like it was on fire and her heartbeat was strangely elevated. It seemed to get worse the more she looked at him, so she averted her eyes to her pears and tried to think of something intelligent to say, but there was nothing. The silence stretched on until not speaking became more uncomfortable than speaking and she finally let the words fall out.

“We met in a vault. My vault. He was there with Madame when she came for the serum to cure little Austin. I first assumed they were married. Then later, when I learned of Madame’s husband, I thought perhaps they were siblings. It took a while to understand they were friends. I had never witnessed an unrelated male and female human be friends of that nature without sexual relations occurring before.”

“Hmm.”

“He was kind and intelligent. He understood enough about science and medicine to usually keep up with Madame and myself. He spoke French, as she does, so that was very nice to have someone new to talk to. So much gets lost in translation. We traveled together for quite some time and he was the one who thought of putting me into a synth body when I expressed my frustrations at being a Miss Nanny. He was there with Madame when I was reborn and he was very helpful when it came to navigating the world as a new human being. I had grown to think of him as a treasured friend.”

“That’s why you couldn’t forgive him after. You know that, right? Cause you loved him and real friends don’t do what he did. Or they shouldn’t.”

“So we were never friends?”

He sighed, “I dunno. My gut says yes, you were, but he’s complicated. I dunno how much you know about his history with the Railroad, but it’s essentially  _ him. _ He _ is _ the Railroad. So, as convoluted and complex as it can seem, it’s just a reflection of its creator.”

“He created the Railroad?”

“The modern one? Yup. Absolutely. There was a time when it was basically down to just him and a handful of newbies. He single-handedly resurrected it. Rewrote all the handbooks. I know people refer to Dez as ‘the Big D’, but that’s wrong. She’s the little D. He’s the Big D. He just --”

“Prefers to have someone else in the queen’s space.”

“Right. Exactly.”

“You have given me much to think on. I feel rather bad now for being so hard on him after everything he went through.”

“No. Don’t.”

“Don’t?”

“He’s a grown-ass man. He should know by now how to separate work from everything else, but he doesn’t. Maybe he just can’t, but this is entirely his own fault. Let him stew in it a while longer. Make him really crawl on his knees for a bit.  _ Then _ forgive him, but only if you really want him back in your life.”

“He is already there whether I want him or not. He is like a barnacle on Madame.”

“Well… she’s smart, right?”

_ “Oui.” _

“And she’s run with him a long time, yeah?”

_ “Oui.” _   


“So, if you’ve got faith in her, you gotta have faith in that trust then, right? From what I know, he’s stuck with her longer than anybody.  _ Ever. _ That’s kinda huge. There has to be a reason he has, and there has to be a reason she loves him so dang much. You said she usually has good taste in people, right?”

“She does.”

“Well, then she probably sees something in him that most people don’t. Something good and decent. If she’s got a pretty good track record of making solid choices, I’d say give her the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe he’s been a diamond in the rough this whole time and nobody else ever noticed it.”

“Well… Madame does often see things no one else does.”

“She’s got hallucinations, too, huh? All us great ones do.”

“What?  _ Non! _ I simply mean, she sees the good in people that others cannot.”

“Oh, okay. Forget what I said then. I don’t see  _ nothin’.” _

“Lieutenant Garvey says this is one of her great strengths, but Mademoiselle Cait says that it is a weakness.”

“So what do you say?”

“I say… that without this trait, it is quite possible that I would not be here today. She never once held the things I did for Vault-Tec against me, even though she had more of a reason to than most. She sees me as I am and accepts it. She understands. Perhaps I should have faith in her understanding of Monsieur Deacon as well.”

“Damn.”

“What?”

“Those inside bits of yours are _ tasty, _ babydoll. I just can’t get past it.”

“Ah…  _ merci?” _

“Pretty sure that’s my line.”


	18. The Truth Will Out

_ May 16th, 2289 _

_ Sanctuary, Commonwealth _

Deacon grumbled to himself as he took a left at the Concord Red Rocket and trudged along. He’d have to set up something there for Nora. She couldn’t very well come back home looking like the Overboss. Somebody was liable to shoot her. He’d already peeled out of his disguise along the way. Changing on the fly like he always did. She was a trifle more modest than that. She’d want privacy and a place to scrub all that eye gunk off before Shaun saw her. Maybe he could have Sturges install a shower or something?

For some reason, the way back to Sanctuary had felt about a billion times longer than when they'd left it. Maybe that was because when they’d left, it had been him and his best gal, out on yet another exciting adventure.

Or maybe it was because he was having to ignore the Bad Feeling™ sitting heavy in his fat basket that said he shouldn’t have left Nora behind in Nuka World, alone and defenseless.

Psychologically defenseless, anyway. Sure, Strong would happily rip a person in half for his precious Lady, but he wasn’t exactly the brightest bulb in the box, even for a super mutant. His interest in Shakespeare notwithstanding.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he’d long ago appointed himself her guardian, _ especially _ when both Mac and Hancock were away, and leaving felt weirdly close to a dereliction of duty. Even if it was at her own command. He could easily imagine Hancock’s seething rage over it. Mac’s eyes full of sharp disappointment and disgust. It made him feel twitchy between his shoulders.

It wasn’t that he actually cared what either man thought of him, of course. They wished. The only opinion that mattered in his life, aside from his own, was Nora’s, and only because she’d somehow become the voice of his conscience. His very own shoulder angel. Every decision he made, every risk he took, every manipulation, it all got looked over by the ever-present specter of her his mind had created. Who was thankfully the rationalizing, forgiving sort.

He was pretty sure that in normal people, it was your parents who were supposed to fill that particular role. Or your superego, maybe? Certainly not a woman two hundred years out of time with ideals to match.

Then again, for a man like him, who had zero recollection of the father he’d never met and a handful of memories of an angry, scary creature who only ever touched him to slap him around some, screeching in his ears that he’d never amount to anything, having a voice like Nora’s guiding him was probably a large step up from what he’d had before. Which was nothing. Just a dark, endless void of his own mental chattering and cynicism.

He wished they’d met earlier. Back when he was still mostly redeemable. Before all the really big fuckups and running and youthful stupidity. He’d left home at fourteen because he just couldn’t take it anymore. Fell in with the wrong crowd almost immediately and life just kept rolling downhill after that. Even when he tried to set things right, it still felt half-assed and inadequate.

If she’d been there from the jump, someone good and hopelessly naive who would have looked at that angry, pathetic kid and immediately want to help him, maybe things would’ve been different. She’d have taken his hand and refused to let go. Dragged him kicking and screaming towards his higher self. 

He might have really been something.

Instead, he’d gleefully helped murder a man in cold blood and ran away. Met and married a woman he had no business even getting near and got her killed, too. Ran away from that as well. Joined the Railroad and made a career out of that very cycle. Fuck shit up, run away. Get a new face, fresh start, reset his life and do it all over again. And again and again and again.

He never learned. Ever. Just kept fucking up. Even when he first found Nora, tucked away in that stupid vault almost a  _ decade _ before the Institute had woken her up, he’d fucked up. Studied her with an indifferent gaze like she was actually the science project Vault-Tec had treated her as and then just walked away.

If he’d known who she really was, not just the woman on paper, but the  _ real _ her, he’d have had her out of there in five seconds flat. Instead, he’d read over her file with a callous, detached eye. Dismissed her as a privileged, pampered, pre-war beauty queen. Declared her a useless novelty and all but wrote her off. Just an anomaly. A tiny, unimportant blip in his life. A mildly interesting diversion and bit of trivia.

How many people had died because she hadn’t been there to tip the scales? How many families destroyed and hearts shattered? Quincy never would have fallen. Maybe even University Point would still be standing. The Minutemen would have never finally succumbed to their slow decline with her to rally around.

Switchboard could have been saved. He knew it with absolute certainty. All those comrades in arms. Not to mention the synths they could have saved.

All because he couldn’t be bothered to press a fucking button.

But Nora had popped out of the ground anyway, no thanks to him. By the time she’d made it to Diamond City, he’d realized he’d made some serious miscalculations. Reworked his entire assessment on the fly. Decided he absolutely had to have her for his very own. His very own  _ what, _ he didn’t know yet back then, but still. She had to belong to him in some way or he’d never get over it.

And it ended up only taking her a little over a year to not only breach the Institute, but  _ defeat it, _ with what he felt was very minimal effort on his part. Sure, she needed survival lessons and weapons training in the beginning, but that inborn ability to lead people? The way she could inspire every wackadoodle across the wastes to proudly fly her flag? The bizarre friendships and even just the working relationships she’d made possible… that was all her and it was all astounding to him.

She was a natural born catalyst. A person who could make someone’s life better just by showing up in it. Someone people gravitated towards and followed like a star, whether she liked it or not. Some did it just because of the way she looked. Some were inspired by her story. Some lucky individuals actually got to know and love her. All were committed to making her dream of turning Boston into a decent, good place to call home a reality.

He couldn’t have done that. He didn’t know of anyone who could besides her. Even Hancock had people who just would not work with him no matter what. Garvey was nice and all, but had too much sad puppy in him for people to truly believe in. Dez was barely keeping herself together at that point, let alone the Railroad, and her stubborn insistence on keeping their focus solely on synths had only ever ingratiated them to their own members.

Then along came Nora. Picking up people in her irresistible gravitational pull and spinning them all together to work towards a better, brighter future.

It sounded insane when he said it out loud to himself. Ridiculous. Pie in the sky at best. But she’d done it. She even had the Brotherhood acting more like their Lyons era selves than he’d thought possible, even if Maxson was doing it for all the wrong reasons.

The sad part was, he couldn’t even count that act of apathetic malice, when he’d left her on ice like the last popsicle in the pack, as among his top five worst mistakes. Maybe even top ten.

And now he’d left her in a proverbial lion’s den with nothing but a half ton of pure muscle to protect her. It felt wrong. Another fuckup. But that could also just be his own self-doubt talking.

She’d said it would be fine, so he had to believe that. She’d never lied to him before, after all. If Nora said she could hold the line until they got all the pieces on the board in place, then he’d just have to believe it and do his part.

At least step one wasn’t so bad.

He finally found himself in front of her door and knocked. “Shave and a haircut!”

It sounded like an entire herd of brahmin were all stampeding for the door and then Shaun ripped it open, beaming up at him. “Two bits!”

Deacon couldn’t help but grin back. Nora’s little boy was like a super concentrated distillation of all his favorite things about her. The enthusiasm, the intelligence, the wide-eyed, completely groundless, faith and trust in him.

But this time, he wasn’t going to fuck up with this particular Cabot. Not even once.

“Hey, kiddo.”

“Papa Deacon! You’re back!”

His hug had the air rushing out of his lungs and Deacon wheezed a little. “Man, you’re getting strong.”

“X6 and Aunt Cait have been teaching me how to fight! I’m super tough now!”

Now there was something Nora would blow her top over when she got back. He laughed, “That is  _ awesome. _ Be sure to show your mom some of your new moves when she comes home.”

“Oh.” His face fell a little. “Is she not with you?”

“Nah.” He eased back and knelt down so they were eye to shades. “There’s a whole bunch of people she has to save first. She didn’t wanna do it, but she had to stay behind to protect them. They’ll die without her, but we won’t, right? Cause we’re tough.”

“Right.”

“So we can wait a little longer. She said she’d definitely come visit though. Probably in a couple of weeks. Just for the weekend, but we're gonna talk her into taking us both to the Castle when she goes to meet with Preston. Family vacation. How’s that sound?”

His eyes were entirely too serious for a kid his age. “She doesn’t like me leaving Sanctuary though. She says it’s too dangerous.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’m betting with a little more training, and a little persuasion from your favorite papa, she’ll come around.”

“Really?”

“Really… I’m about eighty-five percent sure.”

“That’s a B. That’s pretty good.”

“Yeah.”

“You aren’t filling his head with your usual crap, are you?”

He only just managed to keep the scowl off his face and stood. “Piper. I see you’re here. Why are you here, exactly?”

Here and looking strangely domestic. He wasn’t even sure he’d ever seen her without her trademark, completely ostentatious, red leather jacket. Piper in a cute shirt dress with her hair up in a messy ponytail and he was suddenly forced to acknowledge that she was, in fact, a grown woman.

It felt weird.

“Cait tapped out.”

“She  _ tapped out?” _

“Yup. Codsworth radioed me and I thought it might be nice for Nat to spend some time away from the city for a while, so here we are.”

That also seemed strange. Downright maternal for her. Had she always been like this and he’d never noticed or was this something new now that she didn’t have the powers-that-used-to-be in Diamond City to fight anymore?

“That’s… nice of you.”

“Uh-huh. So where’s the boss? Nobody would tell me anything. Kept saying it was classified.”

He smiled, “That’s cause it’s classified, sweetheart.”

“So no comment, huh? Shoulda known. Like you’d ever tell me anything… and don’t call me sweetheart.”

“Sorry, I got confused on account of the dress.”

She glowered and folded her arms, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You look cute in it. You should think about wearing stuff like that more often.” Before she could retort, he recruited Shaun as a meat shield. “Doesn’t Auntie Piper look pretty today?”

“Oh.” His head tilted a little as he considered her outfit. “Okay, yeah, I guess. You look pretty today, Aunt Piper. Pink’s a nice color on you.”

The color in her cheeks went a slightly darker shade. “Oh, thanks, kiddo.”

“You’re welcome!”

Her attention returned to Deacon, “You don’t have to stay, you know. I got this.”

“Nah, Nora specifically wanted me here with Shaun, so here I am. I gotta swing by HQ in a couple of days, but it can wait.” He gave her his best debonair smile. “So, you wanna play house?”

“Pass.”

“Aw, come on. You can be the mommy and I’ll be Daddy and --”

“Jeez, not in front of the kid, you sicko.”

“Ha. Alright, well… I gotta do a few things for Nora and then I’ll be back. Dinner’s at six, right?”

“I don’t know. What are you cooking?”

“Oooh, okay.  _ You _ wanna be the daddy. I can get with that.”

“Goodbye, Deacon. Say goodbye, Shaun.”

“See you later, Papa D!”

“Later, squirt.” He barely had the words out before she shut the door in his face.

Deacon snickered and headed for Cait’s bar first. Messing with Piper had always been a hoot, but it was a bigger hoot now for some reason. Made him feel frisky almost.

Probably just the stupid serum lingering in his system.

Cait, at least, was happy to see him. The way her face lit up when he ambled on through her door had him wishing for a minute that she was into jerks like him.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in!”

“Hey, beautiful.”

“Handsome.” She gave him a wink as he settled on a bar stool. “I’m guessin’ the boss is up with her boy.”

“Nope. She’s still out.”

“Oh.” A troubled look crossed her face. “He misses her.”

“I know. She misses him, too.”

“Thought it was just supposed to be a few days.”

“Yeah, stuff got… complicated.”

“Is that where Strong ran off to? Wherever she is?”

“Yup.”

“Och. Then it’ll be fine. He’ll keep her safe and sound.”

“That’s what we’re hoping.”

“It’s not like you to not be up her arse though. Trouble in paradise?” She slid a beer to him and he nodded in acknowledgement.

“Nah. All part of the plan.”

“Really? Cause you’re sportin’ a pretty good super mutant hand print there.” Cait ran her hand up his arm to his shoulder and squeezed a bit. “Got thrown, didn’t ya?”

“Heh, would you believe that was also part of the plan?”

“Not really, no. The boss’s plans usually aren’t that stupid.” Her grin was sly and wicked, “Gives a girl a chance to rub up on you though. Thanks for that.”

He grinned back, “Cait, why haven’t we ever happened?”

“Cause I’d break you, darlin’. Body and soul.”

“Ah, come on. I’m tougher than I look.”

“M’hmm. You want the truth?”

“Always.”

She shrugged, “I figured you only had eyes for Nora. Not that I can blame you there, but no girl really wants to play second fiddle, right?”

He shook his head, “Nah, it’s not like that with her.”

“Well, you might wanna let your cock know that cause I’ve seen him stand and salute more than once when she walks by.”

Deacon rolled his eyes, “Involuntary. Purely Pavlovian. If the guy who modeled for Grognak were walking around today, you can’t tell me your panties wouldn’t get wet when he passed you by.”

“A’course they would, if I wore ‘em. And I’d be doin’ all I could to climb that mountain, thank you.”

He snorted, “Well, she’s somebody else’s mountain, so there you go. Anyway, you know you just admitted to checking me out, right?”

“Psh.” She waved her hand, “I’ve been checkin’ you out plenty ever since we met. Not my fault you never noticed.”

“No shit?”

“No shit. I can remember when you waltzed into the ring behind the boss and I thought to myself now there’s a face I’mma be sad to break.”

“Aw, Cait. That’s almost sweet.”

“Yeah, well, it happens every once in a while.”

“Sooo… Piper said you tapped out. That doesn’t seem like you.”

“Oh. Well…” She shrugged, “I’m not exactly the motherly type.”

“So?”

“So…”

“Did something happen?”

“No, no. Nothing like that. I just… he’s got so many damn questions and I never know what to say! Why’s the sky blue --”

“Our atmosphere scatters the sunlight.”

“-- how old’s the earth --”

“Four and a half billion years.”

“-- where did dogs come from --”

“Wolves.”

“-- how does a baby get out of its mother!”

“Vagina. Usually.”

She scowled at him, “And how the hell do  _ you _ know all that?!”

“Books.”

Another heavy sigh, “Well we aren’t all exactly the academic type either!”

He rested his chin in his hand, “Made you feel dumb, huh? He does the same thing to me sometimes.”

“He’s only  _ ten! _ Ten year olds aren’t supposed to be like… you know, he built me a damn robot!”

“A robot?”

“Aye! A damn robot to sweep the floors!”

Deacon sat up and looked around, “Where?”

“Hang on.” Cait whistled sharp and a small silver box, buffed shiny with a happy face made from paint and two small green lights, whirled out from under a table. “There. There’s the little abomination.”

“Huh.” He watched it spin in place, apparently waiting for a verbal command of some sort, before it finally went back to working its way across the floor. Was this good or bad? A kid creating a robot to help with chores would be extraordinary and downright adorable on anyone else, but on Shaun?

“He named it, too.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Kenny.”

“He named it Kenny?”

“It’s short for Kenon, which is some ancient Greek word for vacuum or void or somethin’. How does he even know that?!”

Good question. “I don’t know.”

“I felt like a right idiot standing next to him all damn day. He even knows things about brewin’ alcohol that I don’t. That’s why I decided to show him how to fight. I thought it was the one thing I might be able to teach him.”

“But?”

“But then X6 comes along and tells me I’m doin’ it wrong! Sets up this whole damn course for Shaun to practice on. I put the bastard in the dirt but it didn’t help. I just got so mad and bloody embarrassed and… so I walked away. Told Codsy to call Piper. At least she knows what the hell she’s doin’ with a kid.” She glared at him, “The two of you shoulda never left him with me! I’m a screw up! Everybody knows that! I coulda ruined that boy!”

“Oh, Cait, sweetheart. No. No, you couldn’t.” She looked like she might start crying any second and if he were a braver man, he’d get up and put his arm around her. Instead he just took her hand in his and held it tightly. “There is nothing you could do that would ruin Shaun.”

“I’m not good with kids!”

“But you  _ are _ good with Shaun. That kid adores you. You teaching him how to fight was literally the first thing he told me about when I got home. He thinks you’re great.”

She sniffled a little, “Really?”

“Really and truly.”

“Well… I think he’s pretty great, too. For a runt.”

Deacon reached out and carefully wiped her tears away with his thumb. He couldn’t help himself. It just had to be done. “You really put X6 in the dirt?”

She gave me a wobbly but proud smile. “I did.”

“That’s fucking amazing, Cait. You are _amazing.”_

“Thanks.”

“Yeah.” He slipped off his stool and ruffled her hair. He’d always kinda wanted to and this might be his only chance. “Hey, you uh… you ever wanna check me out a little closer, you know where mi casa is.”

Cait giggled at him and rolled her eyes, calling after him as he left. “You really think I never thought of that?  _ You’re never home!” _

He was still smiling to himself more than halfway up the road to the hospital. There was probably no way in hell a woman like Cait would ever actually darken his doorstep. She was just too smart for that. But the idea was nice. Playful banter and flirting was definitely nice.

Imagining her taking on a courser barehanded and coming out on top? Fucking transcendent.

His pants were a little tight and uncomfortable as he let himself into Curie’s laboratory, but he ignored it and pretended it wasn’t a thing. Frisky from her family’s serum or no, Nora would probably be less than thrilled if she came home to find he’d romanced all her little friends while she was away. She always took the concept of relationships in general far too seriously. Just the idea of friends-with-benefits would probably have her making that horribly puritan little shocked face she sometimes got when presented with modern realities.

It was hilarious when aimed at others, but at him? Nah. He never wanted her to look at  _ him _ that way. He had an image to maintain. That’s why she had no idea about him and a young, far more adventurous Dez back a thousand years ago. Or him and High Rise. Or, once upon a time when a certain freshly liberated synth was still figuring out who she was, him and Magnolia taking on Glory.

Was it his fault that the modern world only afforded so many diverting activities? It’s not like he could go to the theater or a symphony or travel anywhere good. He had his books, he had his occasional pleasures of the flesh, and that was pretty much it. And the older he got, the more the balance swung towards just the books, thank you very much. Sex was fun and all, but it was also exhausting if you did it right. He had enough exhaustion just waking up every day, he didn’t need to add to it.

Anyway, he was no Hancock, with his his endless harem or even Mac, who’d once reigned over that harem as high prince. Really, if you thought about it, he was absolutely the most respectable and downright  _ boring _ of all her friends.

Save Preston, of course. Maybe Piper, too. Somebody that prissy getting dirty was something he couldn’t even imagine, and he had one hell of an imagination.

He flopped down in the desk chair and turned the terminal on. Curie’s little experiment about human reproduction was largely autonomous in her absence, but every once in a while, someone had to show up to switch out the holos the data was being recorded on. Since Nora usually handled that, he’d offered to in her stead.

For possibly less than altruistic reasons.

The current holo was completely full, which is why the system had shut itself off. Table after table of carefully documented DNA strands. It looked like she was searching out successful breeders and then cross referencing to find genes that seemed to give them that extra little boost. That seemed reasonable. Smart.

Dangerous.

The subjects were all anonymous. Each subject had been assigned an unique number. He’d noticed that when she took his own measurements and samples last year. He’d also memorized his number for this exact moment.

It wasn’t on this tape. Probably done earlier. He rifled through the desk drawer and found one from just after she’d left. He’d start there.

He knew she couldn’t have seen it yet or she’d have at the very least given him an earful over it. Maybe even told Nora.

It was that last bit he couldn’t have happening.

Deacon ended up searching through five tapes of data before he found his own file and winced when he saw the little asterisk by his number. It lead him to another number, just like he knew it would. On another tape, so he’d have to search for it, too.

But first he had to manipulate the evidence here a bit.

Almost a quarter of a century ago, he’d made one of the biggest mistakes of his life. A mistake he’d only made worse in the following years. Oh, he’d tried to fix it. Tried to intervene where he could while staying as far away as he could possibly manage, but nothing had ever satisfied the debt owed.

He’d known since Barbara’s death that he wasn’t fit to be a family man. Wasn’t meant to be a father or hold someone’s life in his hands like that. Wasn’t to be trusted with shaping another human being.

He’d never meant to. A drunken week in Rivet City a few years after his wife’s death though and he’d gone and done the unthinkable. Saddled some poor woman with his offspring. His little Birdie. A woman entirely too kind and sweet for her own good. If he closed his eyes and focused, he could just barely remember the pretty way her dark eyes had sparkled at him when he told her his stupid stories. Lies all, but interesting and enthralling to a girl who’d grown up in a cave only to wind up in the belly of a derelict ship. Thrilling tales of daring rescues and escapes and traveling across the countryside.

Okay, so maybe some of them weren’t lies. Maybe the way she’d latched onto him had been flattering beyond measure. Maybe it had made him want to be foolishly honest with her. Confess his sins in a way that framed him as a hero of sorts.

She was just so trusting was the thing. That was always the thing for him. He couldn’t resist a woman who looked at him like that. She didn’t know he was a monster. Had no clue she’d basically invited the big bad wolf into her bed. She was soft and gentle and wanted a white knight to rescue her so badly.

Instead she got him.

He liked to think if he’d known about the little going away present he’d left growing inside her, that he’d have done the right thing. Stuck around. Maybe quit the Railroad altogether or at least transferred to the DC branch. Been there the whole time, provided for them, loved them.

The him of today would have, for sure, but the him of back then? That bastard? He had no idea.

By the time he’d come back around, she’d been dead a year. Cancer from working on a damp ship in the middle of a hopelessly irradiated river. It was probably a miracle she’d even carried their baby to term.

He’d had a different face already then. Nobody recognized him and nobody trusted him. It had been hard to get information out of anybody on what had happened to the baby without raising suspicion. He finally came to his own conclusions and headed out to the only two places in the Capitol Wasteland orphans ended up. Paradise Falls and Little Lamplight.

The slavers were all too happy to chat him up. Thought he was a big spender there to blow some caps. No babies to be had though. The youngest they’d take was six. Anything under and it was too much trouble to keep the kid alive.

He bought the two youngest kids there and brought them along to Lamplight. Mostly because he needed a legitimate reason to get in the gate, but at least partly because he just couldn’t help himself.

They’d reluctantly let him in and gave him a free meal. Wary little eyes in the dark never leaving him. A ten foot perimeter around his person at all times as though adulthood was contagious and he’d somehow get his mungo germs on them.

He’d seen him then. It had been impossible not to. Birdie in miniature. Same hair, same high cheekbones. Same scarf she’d always worn now wrapped around his tiny body as a makeshift shirt. Deacon’s own eyes glaring back at him, the intelligence and suspicion there so familiar he’d felt terrified that the kid somehow knew. Already. That even at the tender age of four and a half, like would recognize like.

He was clearly well taken care of. Several of the older girls seemed fond of him. The kids had done a hell of a job making sure he got fed and bathed and looked after. He was safe here. Safer than anywhere else. Especially since Deacon's career had taken off and he was already high on the Institute’s kill list.

Hell, he couldn’t even keep a partner alive for more than a few weeks back then. How the hell was he supposed to keep his son safe?

Anyway, kids didn’t leave Lamplight until they aged out or chose to go. Even if he’d wanted to, taking the boy would have meant going to war against them and he wouldn’t do that. Couldn’t.

Instead he became Lamplight’s mysterious benefactor. When questioned, although that was rare, he simply said he’d once known a woman who’d grown up there. Perfectly true cause he’d always hated lying to kids. Dropping off presents and caps, food and medical supplies whenever he could. It had felt like a penance of sorts and the older his son got, the more he got to see of him.

He was proud, too. Even if he had nothing to do with how he was growing up. The kid was smart as a whip. Took charge like he’d been born to. Protected the others as soon as he could manage it. Had a temper on him, sure. The same one Deacon had, but without the added cruelty of parental neglect and abuse, it never gained that dangerous, destructive edge to it like his had.

Deacon watched him grow up from afar. Small interactions here and there just so he’d have a chance to talk to him. Watched him find a nice girl to marry. Watched him lose her.

He almost came forward then. The pain he’d felt for him had been so familiar and overwhelming. But he told himself it was better to stay away. Who wanted a deadbeat dad coming out of the woodwork when you were already dealing with the worst possible thing that had ever happened to you?

When he later showed up in Boston, in Deacon’s own hometown, it had seemed like fate. Like the universe was presenting him with  _ one last shot  _ to make shit right. And he already had the means to make it happen sitting pretty in his pocket. A few small, carefully calculated moves and it all clicked. Everything just fell together like it was always meant to be.

What greater present could he possibly give his son than the life he himself had once dreamed of having?

Deacon sighed and erased the last two clusters of his own DNA sequence, typing in completely random patterns of A, C, G, and T over and over. The asterisk beside his name vanished. He no longer matched anyone in the system.

A prompt flashed up on the screen after he clicked save, asking him if he was sure he wanted to make this change. He watched the cursor blink for almost five minutes before he shook his head and reminded himself that this was just the way it had to be. That it was better this way. He clicked yes.

“Sorry, Mac.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so everybody knows, Deacon being Mac's father is literally the entire reason I wrote this story. That's what inspired the whole thing.
> 
> They're both snipers. They both have the same eyes. Same sense of humor. Same love of pop culture. Deacon always talks about being in the Capitol Wasteland. Their age difference makes it completely possible.
> 
> This is my all time favorite fan theory. And I have been waiting since March of 2018 (when I first started writing Working Class Hero) to share it with y'all.
> 
> The foreshadowing is immense, btw. If you go back and read everything over again, it'll make you mad. LOL


	19. Welcome Home

** _Almost One Month Later…_ **

_ (Late June 2289) _

_ 42.45° N, 71.32° W _

“I’m gonna throw up.”

“You have been saying this since we left. I really do not think it is going to happen.”

Mac tried giving his dirtiest look to Curie, which, unfortunately, meant he had to take his eyes off the horizon. The sloshing, spiraling feeling that was somehow synced to the vertibird’s rotors via his stomach only worsened. “I _hate_ flying.”

_“Oui,_ we are all aware. We have _been_ aware.” Satisfied he wasn’t truly in medical distress, she turned her attention back to Duncan. “Are you not excited, _mon biquet?_ We are nearly there!”

“Yeah!” He leaned over as far as his harness would allow and pointed. “Daddy! There’s a vault!”

“Uh-huh.” Maybe if he closed his eyes altogether, he could manage to survive the landing.

“What an observant boy you are! That is Vault 111! Madame was frozen inside it for over two hundred years! Now, however, we use it as an emergency shelter and auxiliary armory for the Minutemen… oh, but that last part is secret? Classified. So _ shhh.” _

Duncan stared at her with wide, serious eyes and nodded.

Bryan glanced back from his seat riding shotgun, “They won’t mind if we park the bird on it, right?”

_ “Non, _ I do not believe so. As long as you intend on moving it.”

He grinned, “Yeah, sure. It’ll definitely get... _ moved.” _

Mac reluctantly opened his eyes. “Ben said you _ have _ to take it to the airport, Bry. No stripping it down for parts.”

“Aw.”

“I mean it. He really stuck his neck out for us.”

“Pfft. It was the least he could do after almost getting us busted. It’s his dang fault we were stuck in Rockopolis for an extra month.”

“Yeah, I know. But he did come through with a way to get us here early anyway. I mean, it’s only been what? Six hours since we left?”

Curie scoffed, _ “One _ hour.”

“What? No.”

“It has only been one hour and…”, she checked her Pipboy. “Twenty minutes since we left.”

“Jesus.” Well it had certainly _ felt _ like six hours anyway.

“Setting her down.” Charon began the landing sequence and Mac was again blown away by how easily he was managing as pilot.

Especially since the ghoul couldn’t exactly remember when, why or how he’d learned to fly a vertibird in the first place. Ben had known he could do it, but even he had no idea where their friend’s odd assortment of talents had been cultivated. If it was something he’d chosen to learn or if it was tied to that strange contract he was eternally bound to. Hopefully Amari in Goodneighbor could help them find some answers.

The whole vertibird shuddered and jolted as it finally came into contact with the ground and Mac nearly jumped out of his skin. Nora had told him she’d flown all the time before the war. Enjoyed it, even. He couldn’t imagine anyone finding this tolerable, let alone enjoyable.

“Oh, thank God. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” He was out of his harness with his feet on the ground before the blades stopped spinning.

Curie frowned at him and unclipped her own harness before attending to Duncan’s. “Honestly, Mac, it was not that bad, surely. And here we are, in a tiny fraction of the time!”

“Yeah. Yup. That’s great. Just… real happy to be standing on solid ground again.”

“Pah. So silly.” She removed Duncan’s oversized helmet and fluffed his hair before setting his hat on top of it. _ “Papa _ is so silly, isn’t he, darling?”

Mac helped him down, “There’s nothing silly about wanting your feet on the ground. That’s where they belong.”

Bryan hopped down and looked around with his hands on his hips. “Well… it’s not as hot as back home. That’s a point in the pro column. Lotta green, too.”

“Yeah, it’s crazy, right? It’s weird when you’re used to the world being grey.”

“Guess they didn’t miss you much. No welcome wagon or nothin’.”

He laughed a bit and set Duncan on his shoulders. “Nah, that’s just SOP. They see a vertibird, they assume Brotherhood. Whoever’s person of rank gets to deal with them. We’ll meet Cait or Nora halfway.”

“Hmm. They get a lot of those jerks up here?”

“Nah. Almost never, and if they do, it’s usually Paladin Danse.”

“Danse?” Bryan followed Curie along to the path that lead down to Sanctuary. “Why’s that name so familiar?”

Charon spoke up, “Used to be a scavver out of Rivet City.”

“Oh! Right! Great big dude, right? I kinda remember him. Jeez, he’s a paladin now? That sucks.”

“Why’s that suck?”

“He was really nice. Polite. Aunt Vera liked him. I only met him and his buddy a couple of times, but they were always happy to share their food and stuff. I can’t imagine him in the Brotherhood.”

“Monsieur Danse is probably the most pleasant of them that I have had the _ misfortune _ of dealing with.”

He chuckled, “Man, if Curie doesn’t like ‘em, you know they’re bad, right?”

“She’s a surprisingly good judge of character.”

“Ah! _ Merci, _ Mac.” Her steps almost had a skip to them as they headed down the hill. “I am so excited to be back home! I am coming, my sweet Marmalade! Will he remember me, do you think?”

“I don’t see why not.” Mac was soon trailing behind the group at a more sedate pace. “Hey, where’s Dogmeat? He’s usually the first face you see comin’ in.”

“Perhaps he is with Madame.”

“Yeah.” The town seemed eerily quiet to him. It was making him nervous.

“Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit!”

A familiar voice broke the stillness, making everyone jump. Charon and Bry had their weapons drawn in an instant, trying to figure out where it had come from. Mac and Curie just sighed heavily.

“Deacon?” Mac glanced around but the agent was nowhere to be seen. “Come on, man. It’s not nice to sneak up on people. It’s a good way to get shot.”

_ “Au contraire, mon frère! _ In my line of work, it’s a great way to _ not _ get shot, thank you very much.” He rippled into sight not ten feet away and grinned. “I knew you were good at lifting stuff, but a whole vertibird? Color me impressed.”

He rolled his eyes, “It’s a loaner.”

“M’hmm. I bet.” He nodded towards Duncan. “And who’s this little heartbreaker?”

As if he didn’t know. “This is Duncan. Duncan, this is Deacon.”

“Nice to meet you, Mister Duncan. Kids around here call me Papa D.”

Mac tipped his head back a little, “You don’t have to call him that, Dunk. He’s just being a weirdo.”

When Duncan waved a little but otherwise just hunkered down behind Mac’s head, Deacon’s grin turned ever-so-slightly more real and reassuring. “Ah, your dad’s right, kiddo. You can call me whatever you want. Just don’t call me late for dinner.” He waggled his eyebrows until he got a tiny giggle and turned his attention back to Mac. “Well! Y’all are really early. Like, really _ really. _ Nora’s uh… I mean, you know how she is about schedules and…”

He sighed, “I bet she had some big welcome back party thing planned, didn’t she?”

His head tilted back and forth for a moment, “Well… she’s been a little busy planning a different party, actually. So no. You lucked out there.”

“You must have done a remarkable job with your therapy to be walking so well! Uphill already! I am impressed, Monsieur Deacon. I did not know you had it in you.”

“Heh. Yeah, well, time heals all wounds, right? It's got you talking to me again anyway.”

She huffed irritably, “Where is Madame?”

He smiled again but this time it was all teeth, “Classified.”

Curie immediately frowned, “But I am Madame’s personal physician! I have top secret clearance within the Minutemen!”

“But not the Railroad.”

“But --”

“Or the Brotherhood of Steel.”

“The fu-heck is Nora doing for the Brotherhood of Steel?”

Deacon gave him a pointed look over his shades and then glanced at their companions, “Better clean your ears out, Mac. I just told you. It’s _ classified.” _

Which meant he wasn’t getting answers unless they were alone, and he couldn’t get alone until after Duncan’s bedtime. That was four more hours of bullshit where he was going to drive himself insane trying to figure out what the fuck Nora could possibly be doing collaborating with the Brotherhood.

Bryan nudged his shoulder, “Hey uh… if they’re sniffin’ around, we should probably take Duncan with us to that town you mentioned, right? You said Goodneighbor was no friend of the Brotherhood.”

Curie’s eyes went wide, _ “Non, mais allô quoi? _ You cannot take a _ child _to Goodneighbor!”

Deacon had gone so still he may as well have been a statue. When he finally spoke, he sounded absurdly serious for him. “RJ, I think we need to have a little talk. Man to man.”

“Yeah.”

“Curie, why don’t you take Duncan to meet Marmalade. Or Shaun. He’s in the workshop at the new house.”

“New house?”

“Yeah, Nora’ll be bummed she didn’t get to see your reactions, but it’s not like we can hide the damn thing from you. Sucker’s too big.” He shrugged, “It’s across from the old place.”

“Well... I _ would _ love to see Shaun.” She waited until Mac had set Duncan back on the ground and leaned in a little. “You will come and talk to me later, yes?”

“Yup.”

_ “Merci.” _ She took Duncan’s hand and smiled brightly. “Now then, my sweet boy! We shall go meet Shaun, who is very excited to know you! And then we meet _ mon chaton!” _

“Okay.” He still looked a little nervous and Mac smiled at him.

“It’s okay, buddy. I’ll be right behind you. I promise.”

“Okay… bye, Mister Deacon.”

He nodded, very dignified. “Mister Duncan.”

The two men watched them go and Mac waited until they’d crossed the bridge to speak. “What the hell is going on?”

“Bunker time.”

Mac groaned but followed along, trudging petulantly for all he was worth. He hated bunker time. Unless it was with Nora, when it was sexy fun bunker time. And where the fuck was she anyway?

Deacon propped open the metal door and ushered him into the same backyard bomb shelter they’d met in to discuss the fall of the Institute back in December. It was as cold and clammy as ever, but this time it was a welcome reprieve from the heat outside.

Mac took a seat in one of the old, rickety chairs and folded his arms, “Alright, what’s going on?”

“Okay, first things first." He took a deep breath, "Nora isn’t here, and you can’t talk about it, _ or _ ask about it. To anybody. If word got around that the Minutemen General was suddenly missing --”

“She’s _ missing!?” _

“No! Shut up. Fuck. If people _ thought _she was missing, it would cause a bunch of problems, right? As far as everybody in Sanctuary knows, she went to Far Harbor to check in on the settlements there and she occasionally comes back here to see Shaun. That’s the story and we’re sticking to it.”

“So where is she really?”

“The unhappiest place on earth.”

“What?”

“Nuka World.”

_ “What? _ No. Nora hates that place.”

“I know.”

“She’s… traumatized by it, or something.”

“Yup.”

Mac studied his face but couldn’t find the lie. “Oh, my God. She’s actually there, isn’t she?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Okay...why?”

“Well, cause she runs the joint now, naturally. You know Nora. She just shows up places and people hand her a tiara. We’re lucky she’s not bent on world domination.”

“What?”

“Nora, or rather Ellie Jo Cabot, is now the Overboss of Nuka World. A raider queen. Got three different gangs under her command.” When Mac just stared at him slack-jawed, he continued. “It wasn’t my fault, okay? Really. We just thought there was Gunner activity out there and she was, you know, feeling pretty down and she’d already built the damn house and a bunch of other shit so I just… she needed a distraction, you know? She really did, and… to be honest, neither of us thought it was going to take longer than a couple of days, but --”

“How long?”

He sighed, “She was crowned on May 8th.”

“May 8th.”

“Yup.”

“You’re telling me that for nearly two months now, she’s been a _ raider?” _

“A pretend raider, but yes.”

“And you just left her there?!”

“No! Of course not! Do I look stupid to you?”

“Yeah! Sometimes!”

He frowned, “Mature, Mac. Real mature.”

“Who’s watching her back?”

“Strong’s on it.”

“Just Strong.”

“Yup.”

“Against how many?”

“Against nobody, man. They love her! They’d lick the ground she walked on if they didn’t think she’d kick them in the throat for it.”

Mac set his head in his hands. “Two months… nobody but Strong.”

“Well, I was there for like, a month, but I had to come coordinate shit, so…”

“How are the Brotherhood involved in all this?”

“Oh! Well. That part she kinda… I mean, it’s brilliant. You know, all her plans are always brilliant. Unconventional, but… they _ work. _ Shit.” He laughed, “I mean, why do you think I kept her out of HQ as much as I did? You put her and Tinker in the same room together and --”

“Deacon.”

“Right. Yeah. Okay, well, she’s been wanting to get the Brotherhood out of Boston for a while now. I tried talking her into doing it the big, fun way using the Minutemen’s artillery, but she said no. There’s too many kids onboard. Plus, this one guy keeps cats and you _know_ how she gets about animals --” 

“Deacon!”

“Yeah. Sorry. Anyway, she’s going to gift Maxson the park once the operation is done. Sort of a going away present olive branch kinda thing.”

“You sure it’s not a wedding present?”

“A wedding… what the fuck are you talking about?”

Mac lifted his head and stared hard at him. “There’s fucking posters _all over_ the goddamn Capital Wasteland. Her and Maxson. _ Married.” _

“What?!”

“Ben and Curie did a report for you. Curie has the holo.”

“Wh-married? _ Married?” _ Deacon finally sat next to him, almost collapsing in the other chair.

“Yeah. Married.”

“No, no, no, no, no. Not possible. Nora wouldn’t marry_ Arthur Maxson _ if he were the last man alive. She can’t hardly stand to even look at him!”

“She can’t look at anybody.”

“You know what I mean! She’s never liked him. Not even a little. What… _ married?! _ How did… who the fuck thought that up?!”

“So you really didn’t know?”

“No! And if I didn’t know, Nora definitely… oh, man.”

“What?”

“She’s supposed to be back by the weekend for a visit. Shaun’s birthday’s on Tuesday and we’re supposed to do this big leader meeting thing at the Castle. Her and Dez and Preston and --”

“No.”

“-- Maxson.”

_ “No. _ I don’t him anywhere near her!”

“Well… neither do I, but we’re kinda stuck here.” He chewed on his lip, “Maybe… maybe we don’t have to tell her until after?”

“I’m not lying to her.”

“It’s not really lying so long as nobody spills the beans.”

“Yeah, trust me when I say, women still count that as lying.”

He chuckled, “Well, you are the expert on that, kid… hey, speaking of kids though, what was the funny business about Duncan? What’s got Bryan so spooked?”

“The Brotherhood in DC are hunting him.”

“What? Why?”

“Cabot serum.”

Deacon actually took his sunglasses off and stared at him, “You actually gave your kid a dose of that shit? I thought you were smarter than that.”

He glared back, “Nora and Jack seemed to think it was a swell plan.”

“Jack… sonofa… I’mma punch that idiot right in the face next time I see him.”

“It was Nora’s idea.”

“Well _of course_ it was. She’s the idea person. She comes up with crazy ideas all the time! And _ he _ is the subject matter expert on that crap and should’ve told her no. If you aren’t a Cabot, and you take it, the side effects are… _ bad.” _

He frowned, “You sound like you’ve got experience with that.”

“Yeah, well… I took it once, and I’ll never take it again.” He folded his arms, “I can’t even imagine… a little boy just… Jesus.”

Mac thought for a moment. “Is that actually the reason you’re walking around already?”

He gave him a rueful smile. “Caught on to that little fib, huh? Yeah. Nora dosed me. My physical therapy wasn’t exactly progressing like I wanted it to and --”

“You tricked her into it.”

He shrugged, “Basically.”

“What happened?”

He shook his head and slipped the shades back on, the slightest of tremors in his hand. _ “Bad things. _ I’m still pissed at myself for it. I hurt Nora. I hurt her like I was gonna… and then X6 came and stopped me, thank God. It was… but she forgave me. Said I wasn’t in my right mind, but I still chose to take it in the first place. I’d seen what it did to people. I just thought my mind was strong enough to…” He frowned to himself, “You know what, it doesn’t matter. I’m not taking it again. Duncan sure as shit isn’t taking it again, and as much as I just _ love _ the Cabots, I’ll destroy that whole fucking house and all the serum they’ve got in storage before I let the Brotherhood get near it. A guy on that shit in _ power armor? _ Nuh-uh. Not gonna happen.

“You hurt Nora?”

“Yeah.” He stared at the floor, “Couple of bruises. Almost broke her hands.”

“Shit.”

“X6 heard the commotion and pulled me off her. They had to use a super mutant tranquilizer to get me down. I don’t remember any of it. I just remember listening to her talk and thinking her voice was the best thing since sliced bread and then I was waking up a day later strapped down.” He shrugged, “I don’t like not being in control of myself. It’s never going to happen again. Even if… you gotta promise me, Mac, even if something terrible happens, _ do not let her _ give it to me again, alright? If the choice is that crap or death, I’ll take death.”

“Alright. Yeah. I promise.”

“Thanks. So, I guess the question now is, what do we do about your boy? Can’t have those jagoffs trying to get to him.” He tapped his foot, “Also can’t let this stuff get in the way of the operation though…”

“The operation?”

“Yeah, the… you know, the classified shit.”

“Right. Taking out the raiders.”

“And saving the hostages.”

“There are hostages there?”

Deacon nodded, “Yeah. Whole marketplace is staffed by slaves. Nora can’t stand it, so part of the plan is we’re slipping in our own people as guards there. That’s what’s been taking so long. Our operatives have to get inducted into the gangs there and then pull guard duty so they can protect the innocent when shit goes down. It’s tricky. You can’t do too many at once or they’ll start to get suspicious.”

“Right.”

“We’ve already got some of our top people there. The last bit is to have the leadership meet officially to hash out details and then we can start the real show. But if the Brotherhood are eyeballing her as Lady Maxson material… hmm.”

“Hmm?”

“Maybe we can use this to our advantage.”

“Use what?”

“Arthur wanting to get hitched to Nora. We can leverage that to save Duncan.”

“What?! No! That’s not -- I am _ not _ okay with sacrificing Nora, or _ any _ woman for that matter, to that stuck up piece of --.”

“Whoa, kid. I’m not... Jesus. She’s _ not gonna marry him, _ okay? It ain’t happening. I’m just saying he will obviously be looking to impress her, alright? We can use that. If he wants to stay in her good graces, he’ll probably roll over if she commands him to leave Duncan alone, right?”

“I guess.”

“Yeah. So we tell her, calmly and rationally, everything that’s going on. Let her get pissed about it and get it out of her system, and then she can bat her eyes at him at the meeting and make him promise to leave you all alone. Easy.”

“Yeah. Easy.”

He huffed at Mac’s sarcastic tone, “Look, it’s this or war. Alright? I know the Brotherhood. I know how they are about shit like this. If they think there’s a super soldier serum out there, they’re gonna want it.”

“Nora can’t lie to people though. And she’s not exactly… I mean, even between us, she isn’t exactly the flirtatious type. How are you going to --”

His smile was practically devilish. “She definitely can’t lie but, with the proper motivation, she _ can _ act. I’m gonna give her a character to play that’ll push a button in Arthur he didn’t even know he had.”

“What button?”

“You’ll see. Don’t worry about it. Being a coquette has never been her strong suit. Unbearably long, passionate tirades about injustices against children and families though? She’s an expert from way back.”

“You really think Arthur Maxson is gonna just stand there and let her yell at him until he gives in?”

“Nope. He’s gonna melt into a puddle and let her yell at him until he rolls over like a good little puppy. Trust me. I’ve known him since he was a kid. All the signs are there. It’s gonna work.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well! Now that we’re up to speed on everything, you should go catch up with your boy. I’m gonna go hunt down a holo and see if Benji uncovered any extra little nuggets we might find useful.”

“Yeah, okay.” Mac stood back up and was surprised when Deacon threw his arm around his shoulders, squeezing once before letting go. Was this some kind of attempt at a hug? “The hell are you doing?”

“Just… glad to see you.”

“Why?”

“Can’t a guy just be happy to see his buddy?”

“We’re buddies?”

“Damn, kid. That’s some ice you’ve got in your veins.” He took a step back and eyeballed him, “Am I nuts or did you get taller when I wasn’t looking?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Guess I had a growth spurt or something. Lucy told me once that men can keep growing into their early twenties.”

“Hell of a spurt.” He set his hand on top his own head and then moved it over Mac’s. “Shit, you might be six feet finally.”

“What? Really? How tall are you?”

“Six-two.”

Come to think of it, he wasn’t having to glare up quite so high now. “Huh.”

“That’s taller than Nora.”

“What?”

“Six feet. Nora’s five-ten. Almost five-ten and a half.”

“I thought she was taller than that.”

“Everybody’s a giant when you’re a shrimp," Deacon snickered. "Trust me. She’s five-ten. I’ve taken the measurements.”

He scowled, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Which part?”

“All of it!”

He chuckled and climbed up the ladder first, holding the door for Mac to come out. “Man… I really did miss you, kiddo. Hard to believe.”

“Yeah, yeah.” They walked together around the little yellow house and onto the sidewalk. Mac immediately looked for this new home Nora had built for them, but couldn’t see it. He frowned and gestured to the large, two story building that now sat next to the old Rosa place. “She build some kind of community center, too?”

Deacon snorted, “Nah… well, I mean, she did, kinda. At Trinity. But that right there is your new house.”

“Why is it so… big?”

“Why, indeed?”, he shrugged as if he had no say in the matter whatsoever. “You want the full tour or just the real estate listing?”

“What?”

He was already in character, “Here we have 174 Liberty Court! A stunning new build in the high-style prairie architecture first pioneered by the late, great Frank Lloyd Wright. Note the sleek lines, tasteful landscaping, and industrious re-purposing of strained glass on the first floor. Inside, this spacious three-bedroom, two-bathroom home features an open floor plan, second floor lofts, fireplace and skylight! Your master _ en suite _ comes complete with walk-ins, a home office, and private access to your family’s personal panic room. Fully automated home defense system with your very own Mister Handy already tied in! For when those naughty Wasteland pests get a little out of hand. All yours for the low, low price of free!”

Mac had stopped walking and rubbed his forehead. “I forgot how quickly you give me headaches.”

“Aw, come on. I thought that was pretty good for improv.” When the only response was a flat look, he continued. “I tried to get her to put in a hot tub, but she wouldn’t. Said it wouldn’t be fair to everybody else. She did, however, like the idea of an indoor spa therapy pool thing all of Sanctuary could use so… be ready for that.”

“Why do I have to be ready for it?”

“Cause I’m officially passing the torch back to you. Now that you’re here, _ you _ get to be the guy who tells her no when her big ideas get out of hand. My heart just can't take the pouting anymore.”

“Since when have you ever told Nora no?”

“Well… since almost never. But! There really _ should _ be somebody sensible pumping the brakes on her helpful impulses from time to time, don’t you think? I mean, you were gone just a few months and look what’s happened!”

“Yeah. Just look.” He glared at him but his dirty look either went unnoticed or ignored.

“Just be glad you weren’t a week earlier. Piper and Nat were both here for a visit. We’re lucky the town survived at all. Anyway, she gave Cait the place across the street. Bryan and Charon could probably stay there so long as they mind their manners.”

Mac gestured towards the giant house, “What? There’s not enough room in there?”

“Sure, if they wanna sleep on the couch. Or in the panic room. It’s pretty cozy, actually.”

“Duncan has his own room?”

“Yup.”

“I dunno if that’s gonna work. He’s never slept alone before.”

“Oh, yeah. Never thought of that. Well, Shaun’s room could fit him and every other kid in town, so we can always move things around. No big deal. Oh! Speak of the devil!”

Shaun came exploding out the front door, a veritable ball of frenetic energy, with Dogmeat right on his tail. When his eyes finally landed on them, he smiled wide and yelled, “Uncle Mac!”

“Hey, kiddo!” He braced himself a bit and was glad he did when the boy slammed into him and held on for dear life. “Whoa, there, buddy. Still gotta breathe.”

“Oh, sorry! Sorry! I’m just so excited! I missed you like _ crazy _ and _ Duncan’s here!” _

Mac chuckled and gave Dogmeat a bit of a scratch as he danced around them, “You don’t say. I missed you, too.”

“And your friends are so neat! I really like Charon! And Bryan already said he’d get me a helmet just like his! I’m gonna trade him one of my rifles for it!”

Deacon shook his head, “Nope.”

“Aw, Papa D!”

“The last one red-lined and left a crater in the street. You gotta do more testing before you start pushing your product out there. Remember? Your mom said you have to have a real gunsmith check the work.”

He pouted for a second and then looked up at Mac and immediately brightened. “Hey, you know a lot about guns, right?”

Oh, no. He wasn’t getting roped into this one. “Not energy guns.”

The pout returned in full force. “Dang it.”

“Your mom will be home for your birthday, Shaun. Guaranteed. Just wait until then.”

He sighed heavily, “Fine..._ oh! _ Uncle Mac! I got a cat! Her name’s Valentina!”

“Valentina? After Nick?”

“No! After Valentina Tereshkova! The first woman in space!”

Deacon nodded along, “He wants to go to space now.”

“Yeah! Did you know there was a rumored vault _ on the moon?! _ How cool is that!”

“That’s pretty cool.”

“Imagine if we found it! And then we could maybe live up there! That’d be so neat!”

“Uh-huh.”

“Anyway! She’s a calico.”

“What’s a calico?”

“Valentina. She’s a calico. Mom said she’s a dilute calico cause she’s kinda pastel lookin’. Oh! Did you know almost all calico cats are girls?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well, they are! Isn’t that weird? Cats are so neat!”

“Yeah, that’s uh…”

“Oh! And we’re gonna move Duncan into my room. Is that okay? Charon already moved his bed.”

He hadn’t even stepped foot inside the dang house and already it was getting rearranged. “Then I guess it’s okay. Are you sure you’re okay with that? He’s still pretty little.”

“Oh, it’s fine! This way I can teach him stuff all day!”

Well, that was either going to go great or wind up blowing up half of Sanctuary. “Okay, just… remember, he’s just barely got the alphabet down. No big crazy experiments until he’s at least… eight.” That’d give him three years to prepare. Surely that’d be enough.

“Okay! Oh! Then I’ll be almost fourteen! Mom said I could start experimenting with plasma then!”

Shit. “Great. That’s...that sounds great.”

“She’s not here. By the way. You didn’t ask but...you shouldn’t. I mean, it’s okay probably if you --”

Deacon chuckled, “He already knows.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” He let out a deep breath in relief. “I didn’t know how I was gonna keep it a secret!”

“So you’re in on it, too, huh?”

“Yeah. Mom said it’s important that we’re always honest with each other, so she told me. She already brought me some toys and this super cool squirt gun! I found these neat schematics on her Pipboy and upgraded it, but when X6 found out, he said it was too dangerous and took it away.” He huffed irritably for a moment. “But Mom gave me a replacement! I’m only allowed to put regular old water in it though. It was kinda boring, actually. But now Duncan’s here and we can play raiders and settlers with it! That’ll be fun!”

What the heck had he done to a squirt gun that a _ courser _ would declare it unsafe? “What were you doing with her Pipboy?”

“Oh, she had to leave it behind. She said she didn’t want anybody being able to track her and like, if you actually know what you’re doing, it can show who it belongs to, so if somebody figured how to do that, it could blow her cover.”

Mac glanced over at Deacon, “You left her there without a way to communicate with the outside world?”

“Don’t worry about it. Everything’s handled.”

“That’s not --”

“Hey, Shaun! Why don’t you give Uncle Mac the big tour!”

“Okay!”

Mac quickly found himself being dragged towards the house, but managed to glare back at Deacon, who cheerfully waved at him.

He couldn’t fucking believe any of this. Deacon of all people being so cavalier with Nora’s safety had him seeing red. And where the hell was Hancock? Hadn’t the man promised he’d look after her?

Sure, Strong could handle any physical threat. Probably. But God only knew what that place was doing to her head. She hated that crap. All of it. Hated being associated with it, hated seeing the billboards and posters, hated thinking about it. He couldn’t imagine what it had to be like to --

“Ta da!” Shaun had somehow gotten him up the stairs, across the front porch and into the house without him even realizing it. “Cool, right?”

Cool was absolutely right. The inside of the house was blissfully cold compared to the outside. Mac found himself standing in a massive room, open from the first floor to the second. A sparkling blue and green skylight lit the space and he squinted a little, letting his eyes adjust. He wondered if Nora had deliberately designed the place to recreate the quiet, calming stillness of a cave or if that was just luck. “It’s definitely big.”

“Yeah! This is the foyer.”

“The what?”

“The foyer.”

“Faux-yay?”

“Oh! Right. Aunt Piper said some people pronounce it the way it’s spelled. Fo-yer.”

“Oh. Okay, that I’ve heard of.”

“Yeah! So this is it! At the back you’ve got a bathroom and the laundry room. There’s also a back door there but we’re not supposed to use it unless we’re dirty. Then we _ can’t _ use the front door and we _ have _ to use the back door.”

“You can’t use the front door if you’re dirty?”

“Nope. Codsworth said it’s called a mud room, but Mom doesn’t like how that sounds. So she just calls it the laundry room.” He pointed over to the right, “Through that door is Mom’s room… oh, and your room, too, I guess. I dunno a lot about it because I’ve only been in there when she’s been home and she hasn’t been home a lot.”

He said it so matter-of-factly but Mac squeezed his hand anyway. Had to be a hard adjustment on the kid.

Shaun smiled up at him and continued, “Over there’s the kitchen and the living room. We’ve got a fireplace and all, but it’s too hot for that right now. Upstairs is mine and… well, it’s not Duncan’s room anymore. So our room and an extra, I guess! If you go across the walkway, there’s an indoor workshop space and then through the door is a little covered porch for when you gotta work on stuff outside. Mom says anything with fumes _ has _ to be outside.” He shrugged, “It gets kinda hot, but there’s a fan. Oh! And a ladder! Mom put it there so you could climb up on the roof and keep us safe from bad guys and stuff!”

“Wow. It’s...I’ve never lived in a place this nice before.”

“Right? I think so, too. I mean, the Institute was...clean, I guess, but it wasn’t very_ nice.” _

“No, it was not.”

“Oh!” Shaun waved as X6 appeared on the walkway above them, carrying a dresser like it was an empty basket under his arm. “Hey! Do you need any help?”

“No, thank you, Shaun. This isn’t heavy.” There was almost a smile on his face. Maybe. “MacCready.”

“X6.”

“Your son seems remarkably healthy for a wastelander’s child.”

That almost sounded like a compliment. “Thanks?”

“He is a great deal quieter than Shaun.”

“Yeah, he’s not much of a talker.”

He nodded a goodbye and continued on with moving furniture.

“Well. Conversation over, I guess.”

Shaun laughed, “He’s getting better! We’ve been practicing how to be polite together.”

“Practicing, huh? Who’s your teacher?”

“Codsworth.”

A robot teaching a boy and a courser manners. That was probably fun to watch. “So where’s the gang?”

“Oh, they’re with _ Tatie _ Curie. Over at the hospital meeting Marmalade.”

“Okay, just let me set my stuff down and we can get going.”

“Okay!”

Mac left Shaun twirling around in the foyer and entered the bedroom. Soft light spilled in from the room’s corner walls of stained glass and he could just barely make out the moving shapes of people working in the fields beyond the house. That gave him pause until he noticed the heavy curtains that had been pulled back. He set his bag and rifle down and went to draw them shut. They completely eclipsed the sunlight and the room was instantly pitch black.

Well, that was handy. He’d hate to give some late night farmer a free show.

He pulled them back open and started exploring. There was a small office in it’s own little room. The same furniture as before but there was a new bedspread. Some kind of light quilt. Probably handy for summer. He picked up a pillow and smelled it, smiling at the sweet scent of soap, fern flowers and vanilla. Nora.

He closed his eyes and then immediately scowled at his own foolishness. Picking this up had been a mistake. A big one. He’d thought he’d missed her before, but now it was a thousand times worse. The pillow returned to it’s spot on the bed and he poked his head in the other small rooms. One obviously was a bathroom with some kind of walk in shower and a large bathtub. The other was half empty and he puzzled at the poles bolted to the walls before he turned his head and saw Nora’s clothing hanging on the other side.

So this was a walk-in closet then. Her side was filled with pretty dresses and tops. Shoes neatly lined up below. He studied his side with a critical eye and figured if he piled absolutely everything he owned in here, it would maybe take up a foot of space.

There was a kind of odd shift happening around him. He could feel it. He’d left Sanctuary still mostly a merc, but coming back things were _different. _This wasn’t the kind of home you ever left behind. It was a permanent place to grow a family. Solid and sturdy. He was now back to being the General’s private guard and Sanctuary’s head of security.

No more running around. No more long roads. No more roaming here, there and everywhere. No more freedom to do as he pleased.

For some reason, a tiny bubble of panic bounced around in his stomach.

He shook it off and set his pack down inside the closet before rummaging around and finally pulling out the box of souvenirs he’d picked up for Nora along the way. That got set carefully on the dresser near the door. Right where she’d see it once she finally got home.

Honestly, he kind of felt like a dope for just assuming she’d be here waiting for them. Even if this Nuka World nonsense hadn’t started, she was still in charge of everything. He knew she toured the settlements once a season, at least. Just doing that took a solid two weeks every three months.

Thinking about that just made the little bubble get a bit bigger.

He frowned to himself. This was what he wanted, wasn’t it? Safety for his family and all that. A life spent with an amazing woman he had no business being with. What kind of ungrateful asshole could ask for more?

Shaun was swaying in place when he finally came back out, humming some song to himself. It made Mac smile. He’d almost forgotten how exuberant he was. That would be good for Duncan, wouldn’t it? Atom knew Charon ever hardly said a word and Bry was usually off exploring or whatever. It would be good for his son to be around people like this. People excited about the world around them. Always talking, always thinking.

This was good. Everything here was _ good. _ He was just being dumb and grumpy because Nora wasn’t here. That was all.

Shaun finally noticed him standing there, “Ready?”

“Ready, kiddo. Let’s go see this cat.”

Three and a half hours later, Duncan was finally curled up next to Shaun in their bedroom. Valentina between them, Dogmeat on the floor. Downstairs, Mac felt exhausted as he sat next to Bryan on the couch while Codsworth zipped around tidying things. Charon watched the robot with a wary eye. Despite the cordial way the Mister Handy had introduced himself, he clearly didn’t trust him yet.

“Does he stay indoors the whole night?”

“Yup.”

“Is that wise?”

“Codsworth's been loyal to Nora for over two hundred years, Charon. It’s fine. He’s fine.”

“Hmm.”

“He’s a _ godsend _ is what he is. A babysitter who never shuts his eyes or sleeps. Shaun’s a cool little kid and all, but he’s _ trouble. _Have you seen some of the stuff he’s working on?”

Mac sighed and tilted his head back to rest against the couch. “Not yet.”

“Well, gird your loins, brother. It’s crazy. Some of the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen. I’m talkin’ _ Enclave level _ tech. Already. He’s only ten, right?”

“Right.”

“Shit. He’s a straight up genius then.”

“Yup.”

“I mean it!”

“I do, too.” His head came up just long enough to frown at Bryan. “I kept telling you, Nora’s a genius and Shaun takes after her.”

“Well I know you _ said _ it, but seeing it in person is completely different!”

“Sure.”

“So what’s her specialty then?”

“What do you mean?”

“Most prodigies have a thing they focus on, right? Shaun’s obviously into tech. What’s her thing?”

He blinked up at the ceiling. Huh. What _ was _ Nora’s thing? Music, maybe? Or history? She was always helping whatever scientist she knew that needed her in that moment, too. Was there such a thing as a jack-of-all-trades genius? “Everything’s her thing.”

There was an amused sort of snort from across the room and Bryan grinned at it. “Yeah, I agree, Charon. It’s completely disgusting how in love he is. Totally gross.”

Mac laughed, too. “I know. I am. But it’s true. She’s pretty great at everything but peopling.”

“People-ing?”

“Yeah, she uh, well, her childhood was kinda...hard on her. Her mom was the worst kind of bi- ah, person. As sweet as Nora is, that’s how bad her mom was.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah, so, she grew up kinda anxious all the time. Always worried she was doing the wrong thing, you know? It makes her nervous around people now. I mean, I think she does fine, personally. People around here love her. Heck, even people in Diamond City think she’s great, and they hate everybody. But, in her mind, she’s always --”

“Wrong.”

Mac blinked at Charon, “What?”

“She always feels like she is wrong. Not what she does. Who she is.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s right.”

“So she always does whatever right thing lands in front of her.”

“Yeah.”

“That is dangerous.”

He sighed, “Yeah, I know. That’s what Ben said, too.”

A random Brotherhood patrol had spotted him and Curie returning and almost blew their cover entirely. He’d managed to turn them away, but just barely. That had lead to a month of forced isolation underground while Ben worked on alternate arrangements to get them all out of the Capitol Wasteland.

A week into that isolation, he’d come by with supplies and a not-so-subtle offer to take a smoke break with Mac outside. There in the darkness, lit only by their cigarettes, he’d told him the whole tragic story of Sarah Lyons. The truth behind the myth. How her inborn goodness and dedication to a cause had ultimately caused her to wind up in an early grave.

Mac didn’t want that for Nora. A life of frantically trying to be the best person she possibly could just so she could grow cold in the ground before her time? Not happening. Not on his watch.

If anything, her throwing herself at this Nuka World problem like she had just proved an intervention was necessary. There came a point where selflessness turned foolhardy and she’d clearly already crossed that line. She had a family to think about. Not just him, but Shaun and now Duncan, too. They didn’t deserve a world without her in it.

He had to stop her. Even if they fought. Even if she hated him for it. He’d promised her five years, but every single day she was the general just raised the probability that she’d die in office.

He just had to figure out a way to do it was all.

“Well, you’re back now. I’m sure she won’t want to wander around playing hero so much anymore.”

“It’s not that she wants to. It’s that she has to. She’s responsible for a lot of people.”

“And you’re responsible for her, right?”

“Right.”

“So pull rank!”

“That is not even close to how it works.”

“Ech, you make things too complicated. You just say ‘Listen here, woman! Stop being so ridiculous! Right now!’”

Mac chortled, “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“M’hmm. I can’t imagine why you’re still single, Bry. And what would your Auntie say hearing you talk like that?”

He grinned, “She’d say I was a good friend for making you laugh.”

Charon spoke up, “And then a slap against your head.”

“Well, yeah, but you know, _ helmet.” _He tapped it a few times with his fist. “Why do you think I never take it off?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to describe the house as best I could. If you would like screenshots of the build I have in-game, I can post them on my Tumblr. :) Also I use a mod that helps green up the wasteland a trifle. Boston wouldn't have been bombarded like DC, so it should be further along in its recovery. I mean, there's a whole forest in Chernobyl, right?
> 
> The coordinates listed are the official placement of the Minutemen National Park & the time it took them to fly there is accurate for a helicopter according to Google.
> 
> (I am assuming fern flowers kinda smell like a very grassy floral. Lemongrass-y. Ferns do not now, nor have they ever, bloomed. They predate pollinators. Not that Bethesda cares about that.)


	20. Peas and Carrots

“Second night back and they already put you to work! Unbelievable!”

Mac shrugged on his new, navy blue Minuteman shirt and buttoned it before rolling up the sleeves. “It’s called setting a good example, Bry. Leading by example. You should think about trying it someday.”

“Man, you are so gullible. That’s just how they get you! They trick you into this crap. They call it leading, but really it’s called exploitation.”

He rolled his eyes, “It’s just a perimeter check. I check on all the sensors and the guys manning the border, then I come home until the next shift starts and check on all of them. It’s not a big deal.”

“If it’s not a big deal, then why do you have to be the one to do it?”

“Because I’m head of security here. It’s my _ job, _ for which I get  _ paid, _ thank you.”

“Hmph.” He leaned against the door jam and frowned thoughtfully. “So you’re that person of rank or whatever right now, I guess?”

“Yup.”

“Not the firecracker at the bar?”

“Cait is vice mayor, so she handles domestic and diplomatic stuff. I’m a sargent with the Minutemen, so I’m in charge of militia stuff, and that includes security.”

“Who’s in charge of... oh, say, who gets dibs on stuff in the junkyard?”

“I… I honestly have no idea. You’d be better off waiting to ask Nora. Or you could ask Cait.”

He sighed, “I can’t ask Cait. She said I’m not old enough to come into her bar  _ or _ talk to her. Not without an adult present.”

Mac snorted, “Well, maybe next time a woman approaches you, the first thing that falls out of your mouth will be a little more clever than ‘Hot damn, gorgeous’.”

“It was obviously a complement! I thought ladies like compliments. Aunt Vera always loved compliments.”

“Not compliments like _that._ And anyway, the only person getting away with calling Cait pretty to her face is Shaun. He can call her she’s gorgeous all dang day and she thinks it's cute. Cause he’s  _ ten. _ You’re a grown man, Bry. It’s time to up your game.”

“Okay, Mister Casanova. So how’d you land Nora? What was the line?”

“There was no line. We got to know each other, became friends and then one thing just led to another.”

“You never threw a line her way? Seriously?”

“No, not really.” He shrugged, “Even if I had, lines don’t really work on her. Not even when Hancock is pitching and he’s usually unstoppable.”

“Huh.”

“They won’t work on Cait, either.”

“Why not?”

He grabbed his hat and impatiently shoved him out of the way. “I dunno, brother, they just won’t. Maybe that’s just a thing all nice girls have in common.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Cait’s a _ nice _ girl?”

That had him stopping in his tracks, a little pissed at his friend. “Of  _ course _ she is, idiot! All the girls here are nice!”

“Well, shit. Nobody told me that!” He threw his hands up. “There’s a whole other set of rules for nice girls!”

For fuck’s sake. “There really isn’t. Come on, you’re smarter than this. I don’t get how you’re so clueless when it comes to women. You grew up with one and I thought Lucy had talked to you about this stuff, too.”

“Well, yeah, but… she thought everybody was nice.”   


He chuckled, “Yeah, she did.”

“I’m never gonna have a shot.”

“Alright, look, I will try to talk to her tomorrow, okay? Smooth things over as much as I can. How’s that sound?”

“Okay.”

“But right now, I gotta go. So stop trying to stall me.”

He huffed, “Fine.”

“You’re gonna be fine here with the boys. They’re already in bed. Codsworth  _ and _ Charon are here if you need them and I’ll only be gone maybe an hour or so.”

“Right.”

“You took care of Duncan a whole year and it worked out great, right?”

“Duncan isn’t Shaun. Five Duncans wouldn't give you the trouble of one Shaun.”

“Well, lucky for you, once he’s out for the night, he’s out, okay? So you won’t have to deal with him on your own.”

“Okay. I mean, I like the kid and all, it’s just -- I mean, did you _hear_ him playing that piano thing today? Just whipping out all that classical stuff like it was nothing. Codsworth said he only started playing in  _ March.” _

“I know. I was here for the first lesson.”

“That’s not normal! Kids aren’t supposed to go from nothing to Mozart that fast!”

He shrugged, “Yeah, well… I dunno what to tell you. He takes a little getting used to.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s okay. Don’t worry so much. I’ll be back soon and knowing Cait she’ll probably take pity on you.”

“Really?”

“Sure, I’ll just tell her you have a head injury. It’ll explain the stupid helmet.”

“Oh, ha ha.”

Mac walked out the front door still chuckling, Dogmeat on his heels. He’d brought along his rifle, but it was more for show than anything at this point. The night was calm and quiet, if sticky. From the reports he’d gone over, Sanctuary hadn’t had so much as a radroach problem in the time he’d been gone. No doubt helped by the extra security Nora had moved into Abernathy and Tenpines in her absence.

Most of the faces he still recognized. There were a few guys here and there that were new, but despite his unofficial title of ‘the general’s boyfriend’, they’d already been told endless tales of how he’d been right there on the front lines. Part of the advance team that had infiltrated and then took down the Institute. The Minutemen’s top gun. They either had enough respect for Nora, or for his own merit, to not be disrespectful.

At least not in his presence anyway. He didn’t care what any of these assholes said about him behind his back, so long as they didn’t drag her into it. Then they’d have a problem.

The perimeter sensors were new. Something cooked up by a combination of Nora’s idea of a pre-war style ‘invisible fence’ and Sturges’ know-how. Small, almost invisible posts of steel that only came up maybe two inches above the dirt. Each one connected to the next by a series of cables that ran underground. Anything bigger than a radstag would set them off, alerting the nearest sentry that a spot along the border required a check.

Handy as hell. They could post less sentries and have a more generous rotation schedule, which meant more fresh eyes. So far they’d only had a few false alarms, mainly in the form of Dogmeat dragging a kill back home. Deacon had mentioned they were working on some kind of tag for his collar that would allow the sensors to recognize him and ignore his signal.

Until then though, they viewed it as a kind of surprise drill to keep everyone’s reflexes sharp.

Lead guard tonight was Jun Long. The man still barely slept, even well over a year after the death of his son. So he often volunteered for the night shift. Mac raised a hand in greeting and headed over towards the main gate.

“Hey, man.  _ Long _ time no see.”

Jun winced and tried not to laugh, “You always say that like it’s going to be funny someday. How was your trip?”

“Mostly good. Exciting in places, but we’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

“M’hmm. It’s a shame Nora’s in Far Harbor. That’s bad luck. She’s been so excited for you to come home.”

“Yeah, well, if I didn’t have bad luck I’d have no luck at all.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” He smiled for a moment. That rare, quiet smile that almost never made it to the surface. “I saw your son today. Playing with Shaun and… I’m sorry, I forgot your ghoul friend’s name.”

“Charon.”

“Right, that’s it. Charon. I didn’t think they made people sterner than X6, but I guess I was wrong.”

Mac snorted, “Right? We should get those two to play poker someday. That’d be hilarious.”

“Throw in Deacon, too.”

“We’d need a fourth though. Who else has… oh! Nick Valentine!”

Jun laughed, “My money would be on Deacon to win. He’d probably cheat.”

“Valentine would catch him.”

“X6 could put him in jail.”

“Charon as the guard.”

They chuckled together for a moment before Jun sighed, “Anyway. It was nice to see another youngster arrive here. He seems like a sweet kid.”

“He is. Takes after his mom. I’m sure everybody’s gonna be grateful for that.”

“Oh, you aren’t so bad. She must have been a real sweetheart though.”

“Yeah, she really was. Smart, too. She was a medic.”

“Ah. Then it would seem you have a type.”

Mac shrugged, “I guess. Lucy and Nora are different in a lot of ways, but the important stuff’s the same.”

“Your friend with the helmet is… interesting.”

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He knew that tone. “What’d he try to scam off you?”

“Oh, not me.  _ Marcy. _ Bless his heart. Tried to con her out of our oven, of all things.”

“It’s that fancy one with the… whadja call it, microwave on top, right?”

“Right.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right. He’s a tech scavver by trade. He’ll tell you he’s an explorer but that’s just because it sounds better. If he had his way, he’d have this whole place dismantled and sold in a day.”

“Hmm. Maybe we should have held off on the refurbishment then.”

“Nah, he knows to behave himself. Mostly. Anyway, the new houses look nice.” Candy colored and oddly out of place in the wasteland, but nice.

“They aren’t so new. Apparently everything here was made to be snapped together like a children’s toy. Once Ada found the old Lustron factory, the rest of it was easy. Just popped the old panels right off, fixed up the frames and popped the new ones into place.”

“Huh. I don’t think I’ve met Ada yet.”

“Oh.” He waved a hand, “I wouldn’t worry about it. She’s an assaultron. Nora helped her do… something. I honestly don’t know. It was a while ago. Last summer, maybe? She’s nice but she’s not exactly friendly to anybody but Nora. She prefers to help with the provisioners. I think that was her original job. Caravan guard or something.”

“Oh, neat.”

“It’s the  _ other _ one you have to watch out for.”

“The… other one?”

“A robobrain. She arrived here around the same time. Calls herself Jezebel. You’ll know her if you ever see her. There’s not many robobrains out there with a custom cherry red paint job. Thing sparkles so much in the sun you can hardly stand to look at it. Deacon tried to tell Nora, repeatedly, to not turn her back on but she’d promised, and you know how she gets about her promises.”

“Yeah.”

“So she built her a whole new body and flipped the switch. Jezebel lived here for about two days before Marcy told Nora it was the robot or all of us. So she waterproofed her and sent her out to Murkwater since no one ever stays there for long anyhow. From what I hear, she takes out her anger issues on mirelurks now.”

“Yikes.”

“M’hmm.” He glanced behind Mac. “Something’s up.”

Mac turned and frowned at Dogmeat. He was standing completely still, staring off into the night beyond the bridge. He shifted his weight around just a bit and whined.

“You got somethin’, buddy?”

Dogmeat suddenly shot off across the bridge and Mac almost cursed.

“Sh-shoot. Dogmeat!” He groaned in frustration as the dog disappeared and turned back to Jun. “I’ll go check it out. Nora’d kill me if I let her dog get hurt while she’s away.”

“Right. I’ll stay here and keep watch. Let the guys know we’re on alert.”

“Thanks.”

He jogged across the bridge, muttering under his breath the whole way. Dogmeat, in Nora’s presence, was as close to perfect as a dog could get. Obedient and helpful to a fault. Weirdly perceptive and finely attuned to his mistress’ wishes and needs. Without her around though, he just did any fool thing he wanted. Up to and including going up against shit that could easily get him killed.

Just because the damn mutt had taken down a super mutant all on his own  _ once _ didn’t mean he’d be able to do it every time, but try telling him that.

The lights of Sanctuary didn’t get far in the muggy air. Just a few feet on the other side of the river and he was already in total darkness. Mac paused to let his eyes adjust and tried to figure out which way the dog had headed. He was gonna be super pissed if it turned out to be something stupid. Like a bloatfly or whatever.

He was about halfway around the corner when movement from the Red Rocket station had him quietly darting behind an old, rusted out car. He crouched low and checked the building using his scope. There was barely any moonlight to speak of, but someone was definitely there. A dark shadow moved inside the building. Scavver maybe? If so, they were going to be disappointed. There wasn't really anything over there as far as he knew. Sturges and Nora mostly used the space for working out the kinks in their more dangerous experiments. He’d only been inside it once himself.

Probably nothing, but still, it was odd for someone to try to find salvage around here, so close to town. Suspicious at the very least. He decided to wait and see where the mystery person headed next before making his move. If they were just minding their own business, he didn’t want to scare some poor idiot to death. If they were headed for Sanctuary, he’d escort them in. If they were less than neighborly, he'd handle them before they ever got near the town. Easy.

The side door slid open and he was surprised when Dogmeat all but pranced out, tail wagging and hopping excitedly every few steps. The mystery trespasser stepped out, pausing to close the door behind them and gave him a few head scratches before they started walking towards Sanctuary.

Mac practically stopped breathing and slowly stood. Even if he hadn’t caught the shine off the gauss rifle on the person’s back and even if Dogmeat weren’t still making an idiot of himself around them, he’d recognize that silhouette anywhere.

“Nora!”

She froze and her head whipped around towards him. He could tell she was squinting in the dark and laughed. He couldn’t help it. She looked like a radstag caught in the light.

“Mac? Is that really you?”

Oh, God, that fucking voice. He’d almost worn out the holotape she’d made for him listening to it over and over, but nothing beat hearing her voice in person.

“It’s me!” He scrambled around the car and ran to her, skidding to a stop barely a foot a way and breathing hard. “It’s me, sweetheart. Hey.” He suddenly felt like a dope. Should’ve rehearsed something romantic and meaningful to say, but he hadn’t even thought about it. Could hardly think straight now.

“Hey.”

He still felt awkward but slightly less mortified when she just stared back at him. Then her eyes darted away and she nervously twisted her rifle sling. He took the opportunity to really look her over. After Deacon had told him about the raider stuff, he’d been up the whole night before torturing himself with what they might be doing to her, but she didn’t seem hurt. No bruises or freshly healed wounds that he could see.

Same gorgeous face. Same nervous nibbling of her lower lip that drove him crazy. A few new freckles coaxed out by the summer sun across her cheeks though. That was cute.

She was maybe a little thinner than he was used to. He didn’t remember her collar bones showing quite as much when he left. Then again, she hadn’t been showing quite this much skin back then when it was still a little chilly out. Nora in the summertime was a whole other level of walking temptation that he was going to have to somehow get acclimated to.

Hancock had told him about the sundress incident and all, but for some reason he’d never really pulled that image together in his mind.

Tiny little buttons ran down the entire front of it. Probably real easy to pull apart with his bare hands. Some dark color that made her skin glow under the starlight. Itty bitty straps across her shoulders and a low sweetheart neckline that had his mouth watering. A man could get lost just watching her breathe in the damn thing. The skirt just brushed the top of her knees and was thin enough to flutter when the wind barely whispered past them. Her dark hair was down, which was rare for her. Still long and just a little wavy at the ends from being freshly washed.

Yeah, no, this Nora was almost too much. No wonder his brain was taking so long to catch up.

His necklace was still around her neck. The sight of it brought him an almost absurd amount of relief, quickly followed by a wave of guilt. How could he have ever doubted her faithfulness in the first place? She’d told him a million times that she was his girl. He knew that. Whatever plans the Brotherhood had for her, obviously she wasn’t in on them.

Mac took a deep breath and willed his neurons to fire, “You look --”

“You’re  _ early.” _

There was a note of sheer panic in her voice and he tilted his head a little, trying to get a better look at her downturned face. “Yeah?”

“Is - is everyone alright?”

Oh. Oh, of course. Right. Of course she’d be worried. “Everybody’s fine. Great, even.”   


“How did --”   


“A vertibird. Deacon’s friend loaned it to us.”

“Oh.” She kept staring at her shoes, twisting that strap like her life depended on it.

This wasn’t going how he’d thought it would at all.

“Are you… are you mad that we’re here early?”

Her head immediately came back up and she shook it. “No! No, of course not! Of course I’m… I’m thrilled.” Tears were gathering in her eyes and she ducked her head again.

Mac sighed. Yup. Still couldn’t lie for shit. She didn’t seem mad but she was definitely  _ not _ thrilled. She just didn’t want to be impolite and say so.

He was kinda at a loss here. All he wanted to do was throw his arms around her and make a beeline for their bedroom. It kinda seemed like all she wanted to do was crawl in a hole and die, though.

Was this the schedule thing? He knew she had issues with timetables getting messed with. People not being on time or showing up for meetings before she was ready was a huge hot button issue with her. She must have set a specific date in her head for him to be home.

“When did you think we'd --”

“You weren’t supposed to be back until Halloween!”

He wasn’t certain, but he was pretty sure that was sometime around October or November. That was nuts. Even if he’d had to crawl back home with Duncan on his back, he’d have been here by the end of August at the latest.

“Why Halloween?”

“I - I don’t know! That’s just when I thought you’d be home!”

Oh, fantastic. There wasn’t even a reason for the date. Of course not. They hadn’t been back together ten minutes and he was already irritated.

“Nora, that’s crazy. Nobody takes from April to November or whatever to go four hundred miles.”

“You aren’t supposed to be here.”

Well, that was kinda hurtful. Damn. “Baby --”

“Y - you weren’t supposed to see me like… like I…”

She started sobbing into her hands and Mac had a moment of blind panic himself. He moved on autopilot and wrapped her in a hug. It seemed to just make the crying worse, but he held on anyway.

“Hey, hey, hey. Shhh. It’s alright. Everything’s okay, baby. It’s okay.” She just sobbed louder and he rubbed her back. “It’s really okay. Deacon told me all about --”

_ “He told you?!” _ The wailing was so much worse now and he was pretty sure if he weren’t holding on so tightly, she’d have collapsed.

“Wha...yes? Of course he told me. Why wouldn’t he have told me?”

“N-nobody’s supposed t-to…supposed --”

“Okay. Okay, just breathe, alright? You aren’t making any sense and I can’t understand you when you get like this.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Shh. Come on, breathe with me.” He took a deep breath and held it until she attempted the same, then let it go with her. “Good. Again.” They went through it almost a dozen times before she was finally able to draw a full breath. Mac felt her weight shift as she planted her feet more solidly on the road and only then leaned back. “You alright?”

She still looked miserable and wouldn’t meet his eyes, but she wasn’t crying anymore. “I’m alright. I’m sorry.”

He frowned at her flat tone. It was a little too close to the way she’d spoken back in January for his liking. Back when she was adrift somewhere beyond his reach in her mind. This Nuka World bullshit was clearly a terrible idea.

“Okay… I don’t know why you’re so upset that Deacon told me where you really were. I know about what you’re planning and why you gotta do it this way and all that. I know about the raiders and you pretending to be in charge of that mess. I know how long you’ve been there and that, for _some_ reason, only Strong is staying with you. I’m really only mad about that last part. The rest of it is… well,  _ typical. _ It’s completely normal for you to run off and do dangerous, impossible things whenever I’m not looking. Heck, even when I  _ am _ looking you do that sh-stuff. So it’s fine. Everything is fine. I know I’m back early and I know people not sticking to schedules makes you freak out, but it’s okay. It’s good, right? This way Duncan can start school in the fall and --”

“I just never wanted you to see me this way.”

His forehead wrinkled in confusion, “What way?”

She shook her head, “You can’t come to Nuka World. You can’t see.”

Okay, now that did piss him off. “If you really think --”

“I forbid it -”

“Nora!”

“- as General and Overboss. If you try to come, I’ll... I’ll have you ejected -”

_ “Nora!” _

“- just like Hancock.”

That stunned him into silence. So that’s what happened. Mac instantly knew exactly where their friend must be. Licking his wounds in Goodneighbor. “You threw Hancock out of Nuka World?”

“Strong took him back to the station and made him leave on my orders.”

Of course he did. Only an equally loyal super mutant could have possibly pried the mayor away from his Sunshine when she was in danger.  _ “Why?” _

“He almost saw. He - he almost made it to… but Gage told me we had a special guest in the park. Made a bunch of jokes and I  _ knew. _ I knew exactly who he was talking about. So he had to go.” Her eyes were full of tears again. “I’ll... I’ll make it up to him later. Somehow. I just… I panicked and he  _ had to go.” _

She said it past tense, but he was pretty sure she was still running on nothing but panic even now. Fighting this fight was pointless and, frankly, he didn’t even want to. Not yet. Not right when they’d finally come back together again. He didn’t want to spend tonight screaming at each other. He needed to get her calmed down. More like herself before they tried hashing out details so there'd at least be a chance that she'd see reason.

“I missed you.”

Her eyes finally met his and he felt weirdly triumphant when confusion overtook the alarm there. He’d successfully thrown her off stride and made the gears in her mind stop whirling.

“You did?”

“Every damn day.” He smiled when her cheeks went a little dark and she looked away. “Did you miss me?”

Nora nodded and shuffled a bit closer to him. He tightened his hold so she couldn’t get away, just in case.  “I missed you, too.” The tears were back. “So much. It… it was…”

There was tension seeping back into her and Mac moved before it could overwhelm her again. He tilted her chin up and kissed her. Soft and careful at first since she seemed so fragile tonight, but then her arms went around his neck and before he knew it, she was quietly moaning into his mouth as his tongue slipped into hers. His hand was about to find its way under her skirt when a weird chirping sound had her suddenly jolting in his arms and quickly stepping back.

It sounded again and he scowled. “The heck is that?”

She was breathing hard already and it took her a moment to answer. “That’s, um, that’s a chickadee call. Deacon. It’s Deacon letting me know he can see me. See us, I mean.”

He practically growled and glared at where he was pretty sure the noise had come from.  _ “Pervert.” _

Her head tilted, “Wouldn’t he have been a pervert if he  _ hadn’t _ let us know?”

Well. She had him there. “We should go home, I think. Right now. Sound good to you?” He took her hand and the moment their eyes met, she smiled bashfully at him.

“Okay. I'll show you the back way.”

“The back way?”

“M’hmm.” She headed for the bridge but turned to the right before they got there, headed upstream. Dogmeat continued trotting on into town without them. “I don’t like people knowing I’m home before Shaun does.”

“Oh.” Made sense in a weird, Nora kind of way.

“Plus, I... I have something I usually do --”

“Yeah, I remember. Gotta go talk to Nate, right?”

She paused by the riverbank and shook her head. “No. I don’t do that as much anymore.”

“You don’t?”

“No, I… I guess I don’t like the idea of him knowing, either.”

“Okay. That’s okay.” His hand tightened around hers and he finally realized she wasn’t wearing her wedding band anymore. Had she taken it off because she couldn’t wear it at the park or had that happened before Nuka World?

“It’s silly.”

“I like you silly.”

She laughed, just a little, and he grinned back. “We have to cross here.”

“Okay, sure.” He followed her along, stepping along the stones through the river and they continued heading east on the other side until they reached the end of the retaining wall. She stopped suddenly and he almost crashed into her. “What now?”

“The code is 11-19-88.”

“What?” He watched with wide eyes as she pulled on one of the stones and it swung upward, revealing a keypad beneath. “Secret tunnel. Our house has a _secret tunnel!_ Just like in --”

“Grognak, issue 2. Cometh the Trickster.”

“You finally read them!”

“Well, Shaun wanted to read them and I figured I should first to make sure everything was appropriate. There’s a few issues he can’t read until he’s at least twelve.” She pressed enter and a large piece of the wall suddenly swung free, revealing a rough-hewn passage.

“Wow." Mac stared into the inky darkness in amazement. “Why 11-19-88?”

“That’s the day we first met.”

_ “Oh, _ sweetheart, that’s just…” His heart melted a little and he was so busy being dazzled by it all he almost yelped when she tugged him along. “Sorry. Coming.”

“I’m sorry it’s so dark. I don’t have lights installed yet.” She barely had the words out and the door swung shut behind them with an ominous sort of scrape of metal on stone. Taking with it what little light was available.

Kinda felt like being in Lamplight on the rare occasion that their connection to Vault 87's generator had gone down. It was so dark Mac saw phantom images in front of his eyes. Her hand was still in his though, and that was real. That was enough. They started up the slight incline. Kind of felt like gravel under his boots.

“Where does it go?”

“To the panic room. This is the emergency exit.”

“Oh, right. Shaun opened the hatch for me yesterday. I stuck my head down in there but didn’t really check it out yet.”

“It was Deacon’s idea. I thought about including a bunker for really bad radstorms, but he said it needed to be more secure than that. Strong dug it out and Ada helped him with the tunnel. She’s good at scanning for structural weaknesses in things.”

“Right, the assaultron.”

“Oh, did you meet her?”

“No, I just heard about her. We've only been back a couple of days.”

“Oh, well, I think you’d like her. She’s very interesting.”

He thought of Jun’s assessment that the bot was safe but only friendly towards Nora and chuckled. She thought she was bad at relationships, but he was pretty sure she could make friends with a rock if she wanted to. Probably. “Hmm.”

“Oh!”

“What?”

“We’re here. My hand hit the… now where’s the keypad?” He waited and was starting to get a little antsy when a small panel on the wall turned green. “Ah. There we go.”

“Is the code the same on this side?”

“Yes. Deacon thought every panel should have an unique code, but I feel like that’s a lot to expect little boys to remember.”

“Right.” He kind of agreed with Deacon here but Nora was right. There was no way the kids could keep a bunch of random numbers for identical panels straight in their heads. Especially if it were an emergency. Maybe they’d revisit it when they were older.

They stepped into the panic room and Nora let his hand go for a moment, searching for and eventually flipping on a light-switch.

Mac immediately shut his eyes and winced. “Damn, that’s bright.”

“Oh! Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s alright. Somehow I’m always looking directly at the light in these situations.”

Nora giggled and took his hand again. “You um… you look very handsome in the new uniform.”

He managed to get one eye open and was surprised to find her openly staring at him. At least until she caught him peeking. “Oh, yeah?”

“M’hmm.”

“You pick blue to go with my eyes?” He’d only meant it as a joke but when her face went red he started laughing. “You  _ didn’t.” _

“It… I mean, blue  _ is _ our primary color and…”

“Baby.”

She sighed and stared at the floor. “And I thought it would be a nice color on you.”

Mac snorted, “This is a whole new level of flattery here. I don’t even know how to react.”

There was a grumpy sort of pout now taking up residence on her face and she huffed before collecting herself. “Anyway! This is our panic room. It’s got its own little generator that powers on once people are in here and places for everyone to sleep. We keep a two week supply of food and water on hand, too. There’s also a bathroom but it’s pretty rough. Or I think it’s rough. Everyone else seemed to think it was fine.”

He was still snickering to himself at the idea of her re-outfitting the entire Minuteman army just so he’d look cute in the uniform, but he managed to keep most of it out of his voice. “It’s really nice.”

“M’hmm.” She still wasn’t looking anywhere near him and made to move towards the ladder that lead to their closet.

Mac let her get enough momentum headed away that she squawked when he suddenly pulled her back into his arms. “You know, I think this might be my favorite color on you.” Her dress was a dark, rich green that reminded him of the shaded glens in the Preserve. It brought out her eyes like crazy and he immediately decided against just ripping it off her.

All those dainty little pearl buttons could be spared so long as she wore this at least once a week.

“O-oh. Thank you.” She stared up at him as long as she could before hiding her face against his neck. “I’m… wait.” Nora stepped back and studied him carefully. “You’re _bigger.”_

“Heh.” He’d kinda forgot about all the great set-ups she always unintentionally sent his way. “Uh… I mean, yeah. Yeah, guess I grew a few inches while I was --”

“It’s not just your height.”

“What?”

She stepped back a bit more and made a frame with her hands before carefully peering at him through it. “Your shoulders and chest are wider.”

“Huh?”

“That’s… _ odd. _ You would have been on road rations most of the time. Growing taller is probable, but bulking up is…” Her head tilted and she dropped her hands. “Did you eat well the whole way?”

“Yeah, I mean… there were a few lean places where the only things around were freaking mirelurks --”

“So you didn’t.” Her eyes narrowed. “Wait. Did Curie give you something? Like, some kind of treatment or an injection maybe?”

“Oh, nah. Nothing like that. She gave me some vitamins though. She said I didn’t have to take them once we got to DC, but I figured that was just because we weren’t traveling anymore. Even made some for Duncan, too. Said it would help him catch up to other kids his age.”

Nora sighed and rubbed her forehead, “Exactly what did she say when she first handed them to you?”

“Uh.” He tried to think back to that night. “That they were to make me big and strong. They were supposed to keep me healthy and that she’d made them with you in mind --”

“I cannot  _ believe _ her!”

She was instantaneously, uncharacteristically pissed enough that he actually took a step back. “Nora?”

“We have talked and talked and  _ talked _ about informed consent!” She started pacing in the small space, hands flailing around as she ranted. “She of all people knew damn good and well that I was perfectly happy with you  _ exactly _ as you were!  _ More _ than happy!  _ I told her! _ I…” She stopped and turned back to him, eyes dark and worried suddenly. “I’m sorry, Mac. I’m so sorry. I didn’t… I had nothing to do with it. I never  _ once _ said or implied in any way, shape, or form that I wasn’t one hundred percent happy with you. You know that, right? You believe me?”

“Uh… yeah, sure. I have no idea what you’re talking about though.”

“She drugged you. Those weren’t vitamins you were taking. Or… I mean, there probably was a bit of supplemental…” She sighed, “Curie gave you growth hormones. She’d talked in the past of how unfortunate it was that you’d had stunted development as a child, and I agreed that it was unfortunate but I never thought she took it as… I’m sorry. I should have seen it coming.”

He frowned thoughtfully, “Is that why I was tired all the time and my bones always ached so much?”

“Oh,  _ God. _ That’s so… I’m  _ so _ sorry.”

The miserable expression on her face snapped him out of his contemplating. “No, hey. Hey, it’s alright.”

Wow, she was volatile tonight. Almost at Cait levels. He wondered if she’d been this way the whole damn time she’d been moonlighting as Overboss or if his unexpected arrival had just been the last straw.

“It’s _ not _ alright.”

“Well...yeah, okay, I guess it’s not but, you know, no harm no foul, right?” He shrugged, “I’m not mad or anything. Truth be told, I always kinda wanted to be taller. You know, Lucy had a... a thing for tall men." He rolled his eyes at the memory, "It always kinda bugged me that I wasn’t… I mean, I was at least  _ as _ tall as her when we grew up, but…”

“She liked tall men?”   


“Well, yeah, she uh… she was older than me, you know. I told you that. It was back when I was about five and she was seven, I guess? She’d been out picking medicinal whatevers with Red. That was her mentor. She was our doctor before Lucy. They’d gotten hauled off by slavers. Put in cages as merchandise at Paradise Falls. Some guy just randomly showed up one day and bought them both.”

Nora stared at him in horror, “Dear God. Someone bought her?!”

“Yeah, but she really lucked out. He wasn’t some sicko or anything. Turned out he just had a soft spot for kids. He brought them straight back to Lamplight and the older kids gave him dinner as a thank you. Red and Lucy were the only medics we had at the time, so everybody was real glad to see them return.”

“Oh! So Lucy fancied the man because he’d rescued her. That’s sweet.”

“Right, sure. Sweet. He was this super tall bastard. I totally hated him on sight. Lucy was so damn _goofy_ whenever he showed up, you know? I hadn’t even figured out that I liked her yet, but I knew I didn’t like him anywhere near her. He’d drop by every once in a while to check in on everybody. Went on for a while, then he just vanished. We never saw him again.”

“Hmm. There was a song once, about how angels walk among us doing good deeds. Maybe he was a wasteland angel.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I’m really not sure if this one was Curie’s fault, baby. Looking back on it, it sure seemed like she was definitely trying to explain it to me. Maybe she just didn’t know how to in English.”

She nodded, “That’s possible. She was equally fluent in both English and French prior to her transfer but I think since she prefers French, some of the English was lost.”

Mac shrugged, “Well, whatcha gonna do? It’s not like she can give me another pill and squish me back down, right?”

“Right.”

“You don’t uh… you don’t mind me being taller, do you?” He slowly stepped closer and was extremely satisfied at the way she immediately blushed and shook her head. It was a lot easier to crowd her now, even with just the extra two inches. He could actually see the way she started to melt right back into being his good little kitten in her eyes. “No? Okay then. That’s all that matters.”

She stared up at him, clearly a little starstruck, and whispered, “You still look like a cowboy.”

He grinned, “Is that your thing? Cowboys?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I’ll take it anyway.” His arms went around her waist. “No chance of Deacon spotting us down here, is there?”

Nora giggled and shook her head. “No, of course not.”

“Okay, good.” She was still laughing as he kissed her and he couldn’t help but smile at the sound. “Let’s get upstairs already, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He lightly swatted her bottom when she turned to head up the ladder and it just had her giggling harder. Mac watched her ascend and was not shy about staring up her skirt as she went.  He whistled low. “Hot damn, gorgeous.” It just slipped out and he winced. Great. He was now at least as stupid as Bryan. Well, fuck it.

Nora snorted and was still laughing at him when he finally climbed out. “That’s one of the things I love about you, honey. You’re always so eloquent.”

“It’s not my fault I look at you and my brain just shuts down. One day, when you’re not around, I’m gonna remember to write down all the things I want to say when you  _ are _ around. Then you’ll be sorry.”

“No, then I’ll be knocked right off my feet.” She was clearly headed for the bathroom but paused. Then she turned like she was going to the dresser and paused again. She looked confused and temporarily lost and he realized he’d seen this before. Her routine had been broken. 

“What do you usually do when you get home?”

“Oh. It’s… it’s not important. It can wait.”

“Nora.”

She sighed, “I put my gear up. I’ll clean my rifle after breakfast with Shaun. But I always take a bath though first thing. A long one. Then I go to bed and when I wake up, I’m… better.”

“Didn’t you… I mean, your hair’s still wet, so didn’t you just take a shower?”

A look of irritation swept over her face and was gone in a flash. “That’s just to scrub the raider off.”

There was a harsh, sharp edge to her voice he wasn’t used to hearing. It didn’t sound like his Nora at all. He hated waiting, but if she needed this ritual to go back to herself, he definitely wasn’t going to get in the way.

“Okay, so take a bath.”

“But you’re --”

“Still gonna be here. It’s alright. Do what you need to do.”

“Oh. Okay.” She smiled at him nervously and moved past him into the closet again to drop her pack and rifle. “I won’t take long.”

“Take all the time you need. It’s fine.”

She was already in the bathroom doorway but paused again. “You’re a lot more… you’re different.”

He shrugged, “You’re different, too.” He hadn’t meant anything bad by it but her shoulders slumped a little and he immediately wanted to take it back.

“Oh.”

“It’s --” He got cut off by the door closing and sighed. Dumb. Dumb dumb dumb. Goddamn.

Mac sat down on the bed and fell back against it, tossing his hat in the vague direction of a nearby chair. They just weren’t flowing right yet. Something was still off and weird. When things were right between them, it felt --

“Mac? You copy?”

He sat up and rubbed his temples to try and alleviate some of the tension building between them. Jun. The security check. He’d totally forgotten. He pressed the button on his receiver. “Copy. Sorry about that. Everything’s clear.”

“Okay! Just checking. Dogmeat made it back!”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Maybe she just needed… or maybe he could… he groaned and fell back again. He had no idea what the fuck to do. He didn’t have any experience with big romantic homecomings. The longest he’d ever been away from Lucy after they were married was four days and when he came back, she’d acted like he’d never left.

He hated this. Feeling awkward and stilted with the woman you loved more than life itself was the fucking worst. He hadn’t even managed to tell her he loved her yet. What the hell was wrong with him? That should’ve been the _first_ thing out of his mouth. His eyes slid over towards the door to the bathroom and landed on the box of trinkets he’d collected for her. He stared at it thoughtfully.

Maybe.

Nora had just taken off her glasses when she was startled by the door opening behind her. “Oh!”

A hatless Mac blinked at her through the steam. “Hey.”

“Hi. Did you need something, honey?”

“No, I um… well, I just thought maybe you’d like some company.”

“Oh. I’m… never very talkative after I, you know...”

“Yeah, I figured. I can talk enough for both of us, though. Remember?”

She did. Of course she did. All those days she’d lost laying there in bed. A whole damn month of darkness. Where an hour could feel like eternity and a second at the same time. Nothing had held any meaning for her back then but the sound of his voice. It had been a lifeline. He was offering her that same lifeline now.

God, she’d missed him and how he just  _ knew. _ He just knew everything she needed and wanted and --

“Hey, hey. You don’t have to cry, sweetheart. You’re free to say no here.”

“No! No, I mean, yes, I remember. I want you to stay.” She sniffled and wiped away a few tears that had, despite her best efforts, somehow managed to escape. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing. It’s okay.” He came in and set a box on the sink before coming to stand in front of her. Not touching, just close enough for her to feel sheltered and protected. “I love you.”

She closed her eyes and smiled. She’d missed hearing him say that. It always resonated so nicely. Sincere and heartfelt when he was usually so silly and sarcastic. Made her instantly feel calm and warm inside. Special.

“I love you, too.”

“Good. I missed hearing that."

Then that made two of them. "I missed saying it."

He took one of her hands and held it tightly. "Nora, listen, it’s okay to be rattled. What you’re doing, it’s… it’s about the craziest freaking thing I’ve ever heard of. Even for you. I mean, I know you like a little pain, baby, but it’s getting kinda ridiculous, don’t you think?”

She laughed but it sounded helpless and hysterical to her and she clapped a hand over her mouth to make it stop.

“You’ve been living in your worst nightmare for two months. Anybody would be messed up by that. The fact that you aren’t balled up in a corner crying is a freaking miracle.  _ I’d _ be crying in a corner right now if I were you.”

The very idea was completely ridiculous and she giggled again. It almost sounded normal this time. She opened her eyes and he was grinning at her.

“I would! People would be like ‘Hey, where’s Mac?’ and you’d have to tell them ‘He’s gone completely off his nut and put himself in a corner.’”

“You’re silly.”

“Yeah.” He tugged on the neckline of her dress and she felt her face go hot. “So, uh… how exactly does this come off? I mean, it’s a lot of buttons is all.”

“Oh, there’s a side zip.” She lifted her arm enough to show the hidden zipper on her bodice. “See?”

“Ah, sneaky.”

She’d never heard anybody but Deacon refer to a dress as sneaky before and laughed. “There’s a hook, too.”

He frowned as he concentrated on getting the tiny hook and eye to cooperate. “Are all your summer clothes this complicated?”

“No, not all of them.”

“Hmm.”

“My short shorts are very easy.”

“Your… I’m sorry, your  _ short shorts?” _

“M’hmm.”

“What’s that?”

“They’re… well, they’re exactly what they sound like. I don’t know how to explain them any further.”

“Could you maybe wear them tomorrow?”

“Okay! I have a really cute pair that go with my sailor top. It’ll look nice. I’ll wear that.”

“That sounds good, I think.” He finally managed to wrangle the hook and slid the zipper down. “Where do you get all these clothes anyway? I’ve never seen so many. Not even at Fallon’s Basement.”

“Oh, there’s a team that’s been making stuff for me since last spring. Like the spring before I met you, not the spring where you left.”

“A  _ team?” _

“M’hmm.”

He was starting to look a little suspicious. He had that shrewd look in his eye like when he’d finally figured out she’d been having Codsworth sneak extra vegetables into things so he’d eat better. “Who’s on this team?”

“Well, Codsworth does the sewing, naturally.”

“Right.”

“Tom keeps the ballistic weave stuff in production so it’s all safe.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And Deacon’s the designer.”

He sighed, “I knew it.”

“You did?”

“He said he took your measurements. I just didn’t realize he meant it literally.”

“Well, he has to! He really does! Codsworth always makes things  _ too _ fitted if you let him do it. I can’t wear things that are too constricting or it makes me feel like… it… it’s just not good.” It would probably sound very childish to Mac if she admitted to feeling claustrophobic in the clothes regular people managed to wear every day, so she didn’t.

“Hmm. I didn’t know that.” He carefully eased the straps off her shoulders. “Learned something new today. I like learning new things about you.”

“You do?”

“Yup. Makes me want to know more stuff.” He glanced down at her bare feet. “Like, why are your socks always inside out?”

“You noticed that?”

“Of course I did.” He smiled at her and it made her knees a little wobbly. “I notice everything about you.”

“Oh.” It was all she could manage with her heart racing so fast.

“So why?”

The words just tumbled out. “The seams rub my toes. It’s distracting.”

“Huh. That makes perfect sense.” He mulled it over, “Actually, why  _ are _ sock seams on the inside? Shouldn’t they be outside in the first place?”

“That’s just what I’ve always said!”

He chuckled and just barely brushed her cheek with his lips before he whispered in her ear, “Better take off your dress before your bath gets cold, kitten.”

Now it felt like her heart would burst through her chest any minute and goosebumps ran up her thighs. “O-okay.”

She couldn’t really be sure if it was her or Mac who’d actually gotten the dress off. That part was fuzzy even while it was happening. All she knew was suddenly she was pressed up against him, blissfully snuggled into his chest while his hands skirted along her skin.  His arms tightened around her for a moment and then he abruptly let her go and turned away.

“You uh… go on and get in the bathtub now.”

“Okay.” She had no idea why he’d turned around to give her privacy. As if he’d never seen her naked before. She took off her panties and stepped into the bathtub.

He only looked over his shoulder when he heard the water sloshing, barely peeking at her before finally turning around. “You gotta warn a guy, baby.”

“Warn you about what?” The water was still wonderfully hot and she immediately sank into the bubbles with a happy sigh.

“Had no idea you were practically naked under there. If I’d known, I’d have braced myself. Or kept my eyes closed.”

His voice broke over the words and she wanted to laugh at the mortified face he made before he turned away. Good Lord he was adorable sometimes. Nora fought back a grin and tried to look as indifferent and dignified as possible.

“Isn’t everyone naked under their clothes?”

He cleared his throat and sat down on the toilet next to the bathtub. “Oh, come off it. You know what I mean, you sassy butt. You aren’t  _ that _ oblivious.”

She snickered a little. He looked like he was still somewhere between thrilled and terrified. It was an interesting expression. “Maybe.”

“Now I have half a mind to not give you your present.”

That had her sitting up, “You got me a present?”

“Jesus! Baby!” He covered his eyes and groaned. “Cover those things up. Goddamn.”

“Oh.” Nora gathered a bunch of bubbles together, carefully arranging them until they looked perfectly decent and modest from her angle. “Better?”

He cautiously looked over and huffed, “Not really. You still look like some pinup in a magazine. Then again, you always look that way, so I guess I just gotta try to get used to it all over again.”

She couldn’t help it. He was just begging to be teased here. “I’m sorry, honey, but when exactly did you get used to it in the first place? I must have missed that.”

Mac narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re sassier than I remember.”

Her smile grew downright cheeky, “Well, I should hope so. I’ve been busy working on myself. It’s the new me.”

“Oh, yeah?”   


“Yeah. Hancock told me I should try to figure out who I was now that things are more settled. So I’ve been trying to do more of what makes me happy and less of what I think will make everyone else happy.”

He blinked at her, “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s going okay, I think. A little confusing sometimes but the journaling helps. But, of course, then the Nuka World thing came up and...” The incredulous way he was staring at her was making her nervous and she decided to focus on the bubbles instead. “Is that okay?”

“Is that… it’s… Nora, it’s  _ great.” _

When she looked back up, he was smiling and she smiled back. “It is?”

“Yes! Heck yes. I…”, he laughed. “I’ve been thinking I was gonna have a hell of a time talking to you about this but wow…”

“Talking about that?”

“Oh, just… uh…”

The hesitation made her even more nervous. “Talking about  _ what?” _

“It can wait.”

“Mac.”

“It…”, he studied her face and shook his head. “You can’t wait. Okay. Well, I um, I wanted to talk to you about the Minutemen.”

“What about them?”

“About you being the general.”

“For five more years. That was the agreement.”

“Yeah.” He once again cleared his throat. “About that…”

She didn’t want them to, but hot tears filled her eyes and spilled over. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

“Baby, I know it’ll --”

“I just can’t do this anymore, Mac. Please.”

“Wait, what?” The distress in her voice gave him the balls to face her again. She was covering her face with her hands already though, crying into them like the world was ending all over again. Mac moved onto the floor and leaned over the tub, cradling her face and holding her head steady. “Baby, look at me. Come on. It’s okay.” He kept his voice soft and calm despite the worry coursing through him and she finally peeked out at him. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m just not fit anymore. I’m not. I’m  _ really _ not. Nobody… nobody has noticed. You didn’t even notice, but I just… I can’t do this anymore! I can’t be all these things all the time! I have to be the general and the mayor and an agent and I’m even in the stupid Brotherhood somehow and I just _can’t!_ It’s too much!”

He was nodding. Had been nodding along with every word she said. “I completely agree.”

She abruptly stopped crying and blinked up at him, “You do?”

“Yeah, I do. It would be too much for anyone.”

“Yeah.”

“I get that you’re good at a lot of things, but you can’t be everything for everyone. It’s too much and it’s too hard.”

“It  _ is _ too hard.”

“And you’re a mom on top of everything else. The boys come first.”

Her eyes got a little soft and she smiled, “The boys…  _ our _ boys. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

“Yeah, it does.”

“I’ve been thinking about how nice it sounds all summer. Even when I’m supposed to be focusing on…” She trailed off and frowned. “You don’t think I’m selfish for wanting to --”

“No. Goddammit. Nora,_ no._ You are not selfish for wanting a life for yourself.”

“It’s just… I always miss Shaun so much.”

“I know.”

“And I miss you.”

“I know.”

“And I haven’t met him yet, but I’m sure I’ll miss Duncan!”

He chuckled, “I know you will.”

She managed a wobbly smile before it imploded and the tears started up again. “Everyone’s going to be so disappointed in me.”

“No, they won’t.”

“I’m just abandoning everything.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“What if someone gets hurt because I’m not there?”

Mac sighed and pulled her face a little closer to his, “Baby. I want you to listen very carefully, okay? Are you listening?” He waited for her nod to continue.  _ “Shit happens.” _

“But --”

“You can’t babysit the whole damn Commonwealth every single second of your life.”

“But I --”

“You gave them everything you had in you, right? Every ounce of fight and poured your heart and soul into it all, didn’t you?”

“Y-yes, but --”

“No buts. Enough is enough. If you think I’m going to be just another dumbass who lets his wife throw herself in harms way over and over for a bunch of ungrateful assholes, then you’ve got another thing coming.”

“What?”

“I want to start  _ our life. _ Now. I want to get married. I want to be a family. I want to live here, in our home, with you and the boys and whoever else we decide to add to the party. I want to come home to you.  _ Every day. _ Not just whenever you aren’t needed somewhere else. Every damn day. I want to sleep beside you every night, and wake up to this face every morning. It’s nonnegotiable. You can take it or leave it.”

“I’ll take it.”

“You mean it?”

She nodded, “Yes.”

“Okay, good. Problem solved then.” He kissed her forehead and let her go. “So, how do you wanna do this? Write everybody a polite letter telling them to go get fucked -”

_ “Mac!” _   


“- or is there some kinda ritual or whatever?”

“For which one?” She laughed a little and leaned back, resting her head on the edge of the bathtub and sighing. “I just hate disappointing people.”

“Yeah, I know. Good thing I don’t, huh?”

“I guess.”

“So? What’s the plan?”

She sighed again, “The Minutemen would probably be fairly easy. Just a promotion ceremony for Preston, I hand him the hat and walk out retired.”

“Awesome.”

“For the Railroad… I dunno. Deacon will --”

“Do they still do that uh… whatcha call it? Safehouse thing?”

“Sure, sometimes.”

He shrugged, “Okay, so you can do one of those. Here. At home. We’ve got an extra room, right?”

“We do?”

“Oh, right. I forgot to tell you. Duncan moved into Shaun’s room. They’re both happier that way.”

“Oh.  _ Oh, _ that is so precious.” She opened her eyes and sat up again, “Can we go see them?”

“Right now?”

She nodded, “Would it be okay? I’m just  _ dying _ to see Duncan. I’ve been dying to see him since you left!”

He smiled, “Well, I don’t see why not. You can be pretty sneaky when you wanna be.”

“Okay!”

Her smile back was bright and brilliant. The first truly happy one he'd seen all night. It stunned him enough that he couldn’t help but stare. Then she stood up with zero warning whatsoever and despite quickly closing his eyes, he knew the image of her wet and pink and covered in bubbles would be with him until the day he died.

_ “Dammit.” _

“Oh! Sorry!”

He set his hand over his eyes just for safety’s sake. “No problem, just… get dressed or something. Please. Before I go insane.”

“Okay… I… you do remember seeing me naked before, right? You didn’t hit your head or anything in DC?”

He snorted, “No, I definitely remember.”

“So why won’t you look now?”

“Cause I’m trying to be a gentleman over here, alright? And you don’t exactly make it easy.”

“Hmph. Well, maybe I like you ungentlemanly. Did you ever think of that?”

That sassy tone had him dropping his hand just so he could properly smirk at her. “If you wanted ungentlemanly, you should’ve just said so. I could’ve had you pinned against the wall back at the Red Rocket by now. Twice, even.”

She cinched her robe belt tight, put her glasses back on and gave it right back to him. That saucy, naughty ‘come get me’ pinup expression that never failed to knock his socks off. “With  _ Deacon _ watching?  _ Pervert.” _

He huffed and pushed her along out the door, setting her forgotten present down on the dresser along the way. “Come on, let’s get this over with so we can get back here and I can show you just how perverted I can be.”

“Oh! My present! I almost --”

“Yeah, yeah, in a minute.” Mac was a man on a mission now. He held her hand tightly and cautiously stepped outside their room, peering into the dark foyer for any sign of movement, shushing her before she could say another word. “Bryan and Charon are staying in the living room right now, so keep your voice down.”

“Oh! They came, too?”

“Yeah. Charon’s got the ears of a bat and Bryan is… well, you’ll see. Hopefully not until tomorrow though. So shh.”

She was probably just going to assume he was trying to be polite here. Wanted their guests to get a good night's sleep. He liked that she always gave him the benefit of the doubt like that. Even when it was usually wrong. He didn’t give two-tenths of a shit if Bryan got woke up or whatever. He just didn’t want to have to deal with their first impression of Nora being her sneaking around with him in a slightly damp, clingy satin robe was all. God only knew the shit that would come out of Bryan’s mouth if that happened.

They slipped up the stairs and along the walkway that ran along the perimeter of the foyer. The boys’ room was right above the living room and they were extra careful to creep along so the floorboards didn’t make any noise to give them away. Nora had an easier time of it with her slippers. Mac was wishing he’d thought to take his boots off.

In any case, they made it. He held up a finger to his lips and waited for her nod before slowly turning the knob and cracking the door open. Nora quietly eased in front of him and peeked in. Shaun was sleeping flat on his back, softly snoring with his mouth open. His stuffed bunny in one arm and Duncan with his bear in the other. Valentina woke long enough to open an eye at them, yawn and go back to sleep from the foot of the bed.

_ “Oh! _ Oh, how cute! God love their little hearts. I had no idea they were in the same bed, too! That’s so sweet.” She whispered and bounced a little in place. “So they really get on with each other?”

“Yeah, Codsworth called them peas and carrots.”

Nora laughed softly at that. “Oh, just… honey, just  _ look _ at him. He’s just so beautiful.”

She might have eyes only for their sons, but he couldn’t stop staring at her. Her whole face practically glowed with the love she clearly felt for them both. Happy tears were gathering in her eyes and she finally managed to tear her gaze away long enough to look up at him.

“He’s  _ perfect. _ Just like his daddy.”

Well, fuck. If he hadn’t already been thinking about putting a baby in her, he definitely was now. She said it so breathlessly. Sounded so damn excited about it. His hand slipped around her waist and pulled her a little closer.

“Perfect, huh?”

“M’hmm. I could stand here all night. Just watching them sleep. Couldn’t you?”

No. “Yeah. I uh… they’re cute.”

_ “So _ cute. I just can’t get over it.”

He chuckled and tugged her backward, “Come on. We don’t wanna wake them, right?”

“Right.” She sighed and pouted over her shoulder at him. “I'm so excited to meet him. I don’t know how I'm going to make it to morning.”

Mac nibbled on her ear until she shivered, “I might have a few ideas.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm sorry. 😁
> 
> (Mac's new uniform comes courtesy of the We Are The Minutemen mod, which I highly recommend. & yeah, I'm going full concept art MacCready. It's what the people deserve, dammit.)


	21. Theoretical vs Practical

“I might have a few ideas.”

Nora leaned back against him and wiggled in retaliation for the nibbling. “What kind of ideas?”

The arm around her waist tightened and he carefully shut the boys’ door before wrapping the other one around her chest. He seemed to be thinking hard on exactly what to say so she took pity on him and stopped moving so he could collect his thoughts.

“I, uh… huh. Kinda lost my train of thought here. But I am _ definitely _ loving the new Nora. You can mark me down as a fan.”

“I can?”

“Oh, yeah.” He pressed his hips against her backside and chuckled at her when she squeaked a little. It sounded downright wicked.

“Good, that’s… that’s good. I’m glad.” All the clever, naughty things she wanted to say seemed to have temporarily escaped her.

“It’s late. Let’s go to bed.”

“Okay.”

He was suddenly no longer behind her and she swayed a little, just barely catching herself. It was already hard to think. Hard to focus. It was always that way whenever they were together. She’d missed that. The way he could silence everything in her mind just with his presence was nothing short of miraculous in her opinion. He had her hand in his again and led her back downstairs, pushing her through their bedroom door first before joining her.

She turned to watch him come in and frowned thoughtfully. The look on his face was downright grumpy suddenly. He was almost never grumpy in the bedroom.

“What’s wrong?”

He shook his head and flipped the lock on the door with an audible click. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. Just… Bryan being an idiot. As usual.” 

Her eyes went wide, “He saw us?”

“Yeah, he uh…” Mac rubbed the back of his neck and tried to think of a polite way to explain the gestures his friend was miming when they came back downstairs before almost immediately giving up. There really wasn’t a polite way to describe hip thrusting. Nora probably didn’t even have the words for something like that, and she knew more than anybody he’d ever known. “He’s just being Bryan, I guess.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll talk to him in the morning. Make sure he knows to behave himself around you.”

“Oh, I doubt it’ll be that bad. He’s a young man is all. They’re often foolish. Even if he’s… well, _ boorish, _ I can just pretend like I don’t notice.”

“You can?”

She shrugged, “If I can sort of manage with Elder Maxson, the reigning high king of fools, then I’m sure your friend will be no problem.”

Oh, right. _ That _whole mess. Mac opened his mouth to tell her about what he’d seen down south, but then she walked away towards the window.

“Can you turn off the lights for me, please? All of them?”

“Uh… yeah. Yeah, sure.” On second thought, fuck Maxson. Fuck the Brotherhood. All that extra shit was suddenly not important at all to him. It could wait a few hours. Or days, maybe. Whatever.

Mac went first to the bathroom and flipped the light off in there, then to the lamp on the dresser. The room went absolutely dark and he made a face even though she couldn’t see it. “Gonna need some candles or somethin’, sweetheart. I haven’t seen you in months and I definitely want to see everything tonight.”

Nora laughed, “You will. Don’t worry.” She opened the curtains covering the floor to ceiling panels of glass at the corner. Silvery moonlight, filtered green and blue, spilled into the room. “There. Pretty, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s uh… yeah.” Magical is what it was. He could probably spend hours just watching the soft colors travel across the room with the moon.

“They told you it’s ballistic glass, right?”

“Codsworth mentioned it.”

“Not even Strong with his sledgehammer can shatter it. It cracked a bit during testing, but held up. Soundproof, too. Whole room’s soundproof, actually. Even the bathroom.”

“Nice.” He stared at the windows behind her at the farmland beyond. “You sure you don’t mind if people see?”

“Oh. _ Oh! _ Oh, no. No, I um… I checked, already. You can’t see inside in the dark if it’s also dark in here.”

“Oh.”

“M’hmm.”

He remembered her tiny exhibitionist streak and grinned, “But you can pretend, right?”

She giggled and ducked her head, “Maybe.”

“Uh-huh. Maybe.” Mac started on the buttons on his shirt. “Better get over here before I come over there and get you.”

Her chin went up, “I was just about to say the same thing.”

“You were not.”

“Yes, I was!”

“Lies.”

“I was, too! I’ve been practicing all the stuff I was going to say tonight since the day you left! I came prepared!”

He laughed, “Oh, yeah? Treating this like a battle, huh, general?”

“No, it was more like…” She pulled the slip knot out of her belt and the robe flowed off her like maybe she really had planned the whole thing. “Studying for school.”

“Huh.” A small helpless sound left him and he could actually feel it this time. His IQ slipping down, down, down until he was rendered a complete idiot. Again. “That uh… that’s…” He furrowed his brow and really tried, “You’re naked, baby.”

His sudden lack of intelligence seemed to boost her confidence and she smiled, “Yes, I am. I’m glad you noticed.”

“Yeah.” He just couldn’t stop staring. Some part of his brain had tried to convince him that the image of her he’d hit the road with couldn’t _ possibly _ be real. Not a chance. Even standing there not ten feet away, bathed in the cool light, she looked practically otherworldly to him. Like an angel.

An angel he was going to get to have sex with. For the rest of his natural born life. Which made him easily the luckiest man on the planet right at this second.

“I… I um… I wanna...”

Nora moved from the corner over towards the bed and set her glasses down on the bedside table. “Hmm?”

“I wanna make a baby.”

She’d been absentmindedly fluffing her hair out but that had her starting a bit. She stared at him, “What? Right _ now?” _

“Yeah.”

Her head tilted like it did whenever she was confused. “Like now-now?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened to Duncan getting to know me first and us getting married and all? I thought we had a plan.”

“Uh…” That sounded perfectly reasonable in a distant sort of way.

He stared into space, puzzled at himself. Wondering why, despite his brain telling him that yes, they’d had a plan and yes, he’d agreed to it and yes, it was a good, solid, well thought out plan, the rest of his body and soul were screaming at him to put a baby in her right this second.

Nora walked over to him, studying the baffled expression on his face for a moment before nodding. “I know exactly how you feel.”

Mac finally blinked and looked at her. “You do?”

She smiled at him. Eye contact was always easier if he wasn’t actually in focus all the way. “M’hmm. I wanted… I mean, it was impossible since I’d had my shot and all, but a part of me wanted… maybe even hoped that you’d… we’d… you know. Before you left.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.” She took a deep breath and sighed, putting her arms around his neck. “But that’s probably just our hindbrains telling us to procreate because that’s part of their job.”

“Oh.”

“We both know it would be _ monstrously _ selfish for us to make a baby so soon after bringing our families together.”

“Right. Right, yeah.” He could only half focus on what she was saying as his hands had somehow found themselves on her hips and _ goddammit _ he’d even forgotten how soft she really was.

“Shaun has been through so much upheaval. So has Duncan. All of us, really. It takes time for bonds to form and I don’t want either of them feeling like we’re suddenly setting them aside for a new baby, you know?”

Smart. Nora was smart. That he still knew. If she said they should wait, then that was probably definitely what was best. “Yeah.”

“Anyway, I’m still on those shots. I originally started taking them just so I didn’t have to deal with my…” Her voice dropped to a hushed whisper for some reason. “You know, my _ monthlies _ starting back up. I dunno how women out here do it, to be honest, and I’d like to put off finding out as long as possible.”

“Right.” She’d lost him again, but it sounded right.

“Even if I stopped taking them as of next month, Curie said it would take at least two months for my body to begin an actual cycle, so… we literally _ can’t _ make a baby right now. Even if we really wanted to.”

“Oh.”

She shrugged a bit, “Sorry.”

“No, that’s… that’s okay.” It made perfect sense. Every word she spoke. There was still a little nugget of doubt somewhere deep inside him though that made him ask. “But you still want to, right?”

“Of course I do. I’ve wanted to for… well, a while, anyway. And seeing Duncan was just… I mean, you make _ beautiful _ babies, Mac. I think _ we’d _ make beautiful babies.”

The idea filled him with a weird kind of nostalgia. Could you miss a thing that hadn’t even happened yet? “Yeah, we would.”

“I was thinking maybe we could start trying around your birthday.”

“My birthday?”

“M’hmm.”

“Any particular reason why?” Maybe she knew some old world science thing that said babies conceived over the winter had some kind of edge on other kids. It wouldn’t surprise him.

Her head tilted, “Well… cause it would be your birthday, honey.”

He chuckled, “That’s a hell of a gift.”

“I thought you’d like it.”

“How does that track with you thinking I was getting here in November?”

“Well, if you made it here by Halloween, that would give me twenty-three days to make friends with Duncan, so I thought it would probably be okay.” She smiled at his chuckle and then started. _ “Oh!” _

“Oh?”

“I almost forgot! I got you a present for when you came home, too!”

“Besides this incredibly humongous house?”

“Yes! I -- wait, do you not like it?”

“No, I like it.”

“Is it too big?”

“No, it’s perfect.”

“Cause I kinda worried --”

“Nora, it’s great. I love it. So what’s my present?”

“Oh.” Her cheeks went dark, “Well… I mean, I can’t give it to you right now, is the thing. Cause Bryan’s in the living room and um…”

“It’s in the living room?”

“No, not really. It’s just… it’s for in here, actually, but I need a thing from out there, you see. So… tomorrow night. Definitely.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Well, I can’t tell you. It’s a surprise! But both Cait and Deacon said you would just love it!”

“Really?” Deacon’s opinion on anything was always suspect, but Cait wouldn’t have steered her wrong.

“Yup!”

“Okay. Well, then I guess I’m excited for tomorrow night.”

“Good.” She nibbled on her lower lip just a bit and whispered, “Mac?”

“Yeah.” He whispered back.

“Kinda feels like you’re excited for tonight, too.”

Goddamn. He stared down at her, that little naughty smile on her face and realized it was game over for him. She’d done it. She’d somehow learned to drive him crazy on purpose. He was a dead man walking now.

He tried to swallow but it was painfully difficult, “Y-yeah.”

“You should finish unbuttoning your shirt, honey.”

“Right.” He started fumbling through the buttons and very nearly came in his pants just from the way she slid down to her knees.

Nora giggled a little at the way he twitched all over and started untying the laces of his boots. “The power of suggestion is an amazing thing, isn’t it?”

He grumbled a little at her sassy tone but otherwise stayed focused on working these buttons that for some reason had become nearly impossible. His fingers just wouldn’t do what he wanted them to do, dammit. “You studied, huh?”

“M’hmm.”

“I don’t feel like that’s exactly fair.”

“It’s perfectly fair.”

“Sure, from your end it probably seems that way.”

The second boot came off as easily as the first and she huffed, “You have oodles more practical knowledge than I do. It’s only natural that I would want to at least be able to match you on technical knowledge.”

“Technical knowledge?”

“Yes.” She stood and helped with his shirt buttons.

"What’s that?”

“It means I know many things in theory.”

Mac shrugged off his shirt and immediately pulled her closer, relishing in the feel of his skin against hers. “Like what?”

“Like… my research says sometimes men prefer a direct approach.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yup.”

“Hmm.” His hands skimmed along her lower back and he smiled at the way it made her shiver. “So let’s see it.”

“See a direct approach?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” Nora frowned to herself a little, “Well… let’s see. I want you and me in bed. So, I guess…” Her arm snaked around his neck while at the same time she planted a hand on his chest and pushed.

Mac stumbled back until he hit the wall and then she pressed against him, wiggling just enough for her hand to slide down his torso and palm him through his pants. A quiet whimper came from his throat and if he hadn’t already felt shell-shocked, the devilish gleam in her eyes would have absolutely done him in.

She pouted at him and gently rubbed the rough fabric of his pants. The friction of it was quickly pushing him closer and closer to the edge. “RJ?”

“Y-yeah?”

“I want you.”

_ “Holy shit.” _ He breathed it out and she grinned.

“It’s effective, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, no, it’s… it’s good. You uh… it’s very direct.” And very lethal. Jesus.

“I have other methods memorized, too. Do you want to see more?”

More. Fuck. Mac already felt like he was about to turn into a puddle on the floor. Her damn hand still hadn’t stopped moving, even as she went right back to regular, guileless, eternally curious Nora. He watched her watching him and realized she was cataloging every moment. Recording it all in her mind for further dissection. No doubt already calculating ways to improve upon these new ‘methods’ she’d discovered.

He really was gonna die. He could feel it.

“No, I think one demonstration was enough for tonight.”

“Okay.” She stepped back and laughed a little at his transparently relieved face when she stopped with the rubbing. “So… can we? I mean, you’ve still got your pants on.” The look on her face was almost comically disapproving. “Honestly, I dunno why you’re taking so long. _ I’ve _ been naked for ages! You know, we wake up early in Sanctuary. You remember that, right? How many hours do you really think we have before --”

Mac stepped forward and kissed her hard, a hand slipping into her hair and tugging just enough for her to gasp. His tongue met hers the same time his other hand found her breast and he just barely brushed a thumb over her nipple before abandoning it altogether. He chuckled at the soft whine that escaped her and finally rested his hand on her hip, gripping hard and pulling her against him.

By the time he let her go, her eyes were so dark they nearly looked black and she couldn’t seem to focus on anything but his mouth.

“Nora.”

“Hmm?”

“Get on the bed, kitten.”

It felt a little mean using what he thought of as his Sir-Voice on her, but she’d fired the first shots on this battlefield. He had to take every advantage he could while he had the chance. She may have her theoretical knowledge of how to tease him into a frenzy, but she hadn’t been the only one planning this night for months. He’d had plenty of time on solitary watches and chilly nights in his bedroll to think up everything he’d ever wanted to do with her. He had enough ideas for a _ thousand _ nights. He was the Scheherazade of fucking at this point.

“M’kay.” Her smile was sweet and dreamy.

She drifted over to the bed with him right behind her, a silent shadow. The moment she crawled onto the mattress, he surprised her by grabbing her thighs and flipping her over onto her back. She blinked up at him and he grinned at the picture she made. All laid bare before him, defenseless and needy. Just like he liked her.

Mac leaned over her body, bracing his weight on his arms and nuzzled her nose with his. “This is your favorite place to be in the whole wide world, isn’t it, baby? In our bed, under me.” She nodded and he grinned. “Use your words.”

“Yes, it’s my favorite place.”

“M’hmm.” He ground against her and she shivered. He could already see the anxiety melting out of her eyes. As excited as she was, just a few simple acts of him being pushy and her letting him was calming her mind in ways a bath and an early bedtime just couldn’t. “It’s my favorite place, too.”

She smiled bashfully at that and he suddenly felt the last bit of awkwardness fall away. Everything else in their lives had vanished. They were back to who they’d always been to each other. He finally felt centered again. Stronger. Better than he was. The man she always saw him as.

It felt like being reborn.

He kissed her softly as a hand skimmed down her curves to rest at her waist. “Were you a good girl for me while I was away?”

She blinked, “I… well, now, I know you said no adventures while you were --”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“It isn’t?”

“No.” The hand on her waist slid into the curls at the apex of her thighs and rested there. Her breathing picked up and he smirked at the expectant way she was watching him now. “I mean, did you take care of yourself like we practiced?”

“O-oh.”

He idly pet her as if she were a cat and pretended to not notice the way she wiggled in an obvious attempt to get his hand to move to somewhere more interesting. “Did you?”

“Yes.”

“How many times?”

“I… I don’t know. A few.”

Mac frowned at that. He’d been going crazy and he’d been getting off as much as he possibly could. “Just a few? Why?”

“Well… I don’t exactly have a lot of privacy at the park and here it’s… it’s just not the same when you aren’t here.”

“What isn’t?”

“I don’t really… when you first left, it was practically all I could think about but after a few weeks it just… stopped.”

“It stopped?” His hand also stopped and she immediately pouted.

“Yes.”

“Did you just stop thinking about me?”

Her eyes went wide at the hurt in his voice. “No! No, of _ course _ not! I thought about you all the time!”

“But you didn’t want to --”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Oh.” It still stung a bit. The idea that she could sit around thinking about him all damn day and never once get a little tingly over it.

“I only really wanna do that with you.” She shrugged a little, “We talked about this before, sorta. Remember? Nate and I --”

“Right, right.” Their weird once a week relations and then twice a month post-baby schedule. That was still screwy as fuck to him.

“I never really got so um… well, enthusiastic about this stuff until you.”

Mac chewed on that for a minute, “But you definitely want to now?”

“Yes! Oh, God, yes! Please!” Her hand covered his and pushed down, “Please, RJ?”

The sheer desperation in her voice had him feeling a lot better suddenly and he let her guide his fingers between her folds, brushing feather-light circles around her clit that had her squirming beneath him. The slick feel of her arousal soothed what was left of his ruffled ego.

He watched the color bloom in her cheeks and chuckled, “How long have you been this wet, baby?”

“Since you kissed me at the Red Rocket.”

“Well, shit. Wish I had known. You probably would’ve let me fuck you right in front of Deacon and everybody else if I hadn’t stopped, huh?”

Her attempt at a reply was quickly lost in a whine, “So mean.”

“So naughty.” He nibbled on her neck and mumbled against her skin, “That’s why we work together so well.”

Whatever she was about to say was cut off when he dragged his tongue across one of her nipples before enveloping it with his mouth. She moaned softly and he answered with a happy rumble when her hand slipped into his hair. 

He could tell she was getting impatient. The sharp little breaths she was taking and the way her hips kept restlessly moving were dead giveaways. He kept his touch light despite that. He felt like a little torture was warranted by this point.

“RJ, please?”

Mac tilted his head just enough to raise an eyebrow at her, still nibbling away at her breast. “Hmm?”

“Pretty please?”

Ah, that begging. God, he’d missed that. He finally let the nipple fall from his mouth and pouted at her. “Pretty please what?”

“More?”

“Oh, _ more. _ Hmm. Yeah, I could probably do that.”

One of these days, she was going to realize that as blushy as it made her, saying exactly what she wanted was always a better option than wussing out and taking the easy way by being vague. Not tonight, apparently, but one day.

She would probably beg to differ right now, but he really wasn’t the mean sort. He’d just had extremely long standing fantasies of her saying incredibly filthy, naughty things to him. That’s all. He’d get her there, eventually. Just had to keep working at it.

He knew what she really wanted. He’d kept his fingers just barely brushing over her skin at all. No penetration of any sort. She hated that. Couldn’t stand being teased that way. She’d never said so explicitly, but he could tell. Until she _ did _ say so, he was happy to play ignorant.

Mac pressed a little harder against her clit, his teeth scraping against her skin, and she suddenly jerked under him. Even without feeling it directly, the helpless, frustrated cry let him know he’d tipped her over the edge. He tried not to laugh at the way she was pouting, even while panting through her release.

Before she could fuss at him, he kissed her. Nibbling at her lips and enjoying the quiet whimpering at the back of her throat. Her hand slid up his arm and sharp nails scratched at his shoulder. Her legs were still as restless as they’d been before.

Good.

He finally let her go and the sulky look on her face about did him in. Part of him wanted to give into her then and there, but he was gonna get at least one dirty sentence out of her tonight, dammit. The things she’d whispered in his dreams while they were apart were just… un-fucking-believeable. Hearing it for real would be life-changing on a whole other level.

“What’s wrong?”

A little line appeared between her eyebrows. Her wants at odds with her compulsive need to be as polite as possible at all times. He knew exactly what she was thinking. He’d made her come, but he hadn’t done it the way she wanted him to. Saying so would be ungrateful, but not saying so could mean it might happen again.

He really felt like he was starting to get the hang of her thought process. Here, anyway. She was a far simpler creature in bed than out. Out in the regular world, half the time he didn’t know what the fuck was going on in her head until she opened her mouth and some extraordinarily random statement or question fell out. Even then he usually had to work to catch up.

Not in bed though. In bed, she was a being of pure need and lust. He could practically read her mind. She’d do anything for him so long as it meant he’d eventually slide inside her and make her body sing. Because of that, they hadn’t actually found a hard limit for her yet. Him, yes, absolutely. He had several. Nora, on the other hand, was inquisitive and trusting enough to be open to all experiences, so long as he was the one introducing them. Which was, frankly, dangerous.

That’s why he felt it best to be very, very careful with this kind of power.

“Um…”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

Mac laughed, “You’re welcome.”

“I um…” She went a little pinker and averted her eyes.

Stalled out from embarrassment. Typical. “Do you want to tell me something?”

She nodded but didn’t actually say anything.

“Would it help if I wasn’t looking right at you?”

Another nod, but this time she was smiling a little. That was progress.

“Alright.” Mac leaned down and nuzzled against her neck. “What’d you want to say?”

“RJ?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“I uh… I just really want to…”

He smiled against her skin, “It’s okay. Take your time.” He already knew what she was going to say. She was going to ask him to take his pants off in the most roundabout way possible. Get all rosy cheeked from the _ audacity _ of it all. Even now when they’d done this at least a hundred times. It was cute, really. Hancock might find her inexperience and enduring innocence daunting, maybe even a bit off-putting, but Mac thought it was adorable.

There was just something about the way she danced between being his wholesome sweetheart and, somehow, simultaneously his little sex kitten that got him going in a big way.

She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, “I’d really like to taste you now.”

His brain screeched to a halt. She’d got him again. Zigged when his mind zagged and caught him out. Fuck.

He leaned back enough to see her face, “What?”

“Please.” She smiled politely at him, like she’d just asked him to pass the Sugar Bombs.

Mac just blinked at her. “You… you wanna _ taste _ me?”

“Yes, please.”

“Are… uh…” He tried to get his brain to at least attempt to keep up. “Are you asking to suck my cock?”

Now her cheeks went bright pink and she covered her face with her hands to hide. Mac watched the blush crawl down her neck, but she still nodded. Seemed his shy violet had gotten a tiny bit braver in his absence.

Well, he was definitely going to have to give Cait some kind of gift because this spoke _ heavily _ of her influence and he was grateful as fuck for whatever intervention she’d staged here on his behalf.

“Yeah. Yeah, I uh… I mean, you don’t ever really have to ask permission for that, baby. You can literally do that any time, any place. Wherever, whenever. Knock yourself out.”

Her hands came down enough so she could peek at him, “Okay.”

“Yeah…”

“Thank you.”

“I… shit. Yeah, no, yeah, that’s…”

Okay, he was officially giving up trying to make words happen right now. Instead he focused on getting himself all the way on the bed and on his back. Nora watched him until he started to get comfortable and then rolled and crawled over to him. Excited and wiggly. The nervous nibbling on her lip was back as he unbuttoned his pants and got them pushed down. She surged forward the second his cock was free and he had to stop her with his hand. Sitting up to get his pants all the way off while she grumpily pouted at him.

“Be _ patient.” _ He couldn’t believe he was having to say this to somebody who was so eager to give him a blowjob. Whole thing was absurd.

“But I missed you.”

The breathless way she said it had him smirking a little, “Missed me or missed my cock?” When she didn’t seem to want to answer, he grabbed the back of her head and pulled her face close to his. “Well?”

She stared at him, too close to look anywhere else. “Both?”

He laughed and let her go, “That’s a good answer.”

Nora giggled and waited until he laid back down to hover over him, pausing for a moment and looking over like she was silently asking permission. Mac reached down and tapped on her nearest thigh.

“Wait. Come here.”

“What?”

He sat up just long enough to hook a hand around her calf and tugged her over towards him. “Come sit on my face, baby.”

_ “Oh.” _

Despite the cool color of the light in the room, he knew her face was tato red at this point. They’d done this before but he’d never phrased it that way to her. At least, not out loud. He laughed as she crawled into position and took a moment to knead her ass and nip at her inner thigh.

“Can’t let you have all the fun.”

She was giggling right up until he nuzzled against her wet center and then it turned into a little surprised gasp. It made him chuckle. She was always initially taken by surprise whenever they did this just because she couldn’t actually see him doing it.

Kinda had him wondering what she’d be like blindfolded.

He pulled her down further so he could be truly lazy about this and started with slow, careful licks that teased her as much as it excited him. Savoring the way she tasted and the way she squirmed over him.

She was moaning by the time her lips found him and he shuddered at the feel of her hot, eager tongue sliding down his shaft. His fingers gripped her ass a little tighter in an effort to control himself. He knew there was no way in hell he was lasting beyond five minutes, but he was definitely going to try.

Her mouth engulfed his head and he groaned at the shiver it sent through him. Soft, gentle suction while her tongue swirled around the tip. He was surprised that she wasn’t trying to take him as deep as she could, like usual. Had Cait given her tips here, too? She finally dipped her head to lower but it was only for a moment. She went right back to the light teasing and Mac was now absolutely sure her one goal here tonight was to drive him insane.

It was an awkward angle to do it from, but he slapped her ass hard with his right hand and she cried out, lurching forward while he lifted his hips up to meet her. Mac was careful to not push too hard and finally sucked her clit as a reward when she took him further into her mouth. She was a lot wetter now and he eased two fingers into her.

Nora shuddered above him and moaned loudly. The vibrations from it and the pull of her suckling had him seeing stars. His head fell back and he let his thumb take over for his tongue. He was breathing too hard now to continue feasting on her. His other hand dug into her thigh and he watched as she fucked herself on his hand.

He laughed breathlessly. He couldn’t help it. After months of no contact, feeling her mouth on him and seeing the excited, desperate way she writhed felt almost surreally delicious.

Mac lipped at her thigh and rubbed his cheek against the soft, sensitive skin. He was so damn close, but he really wanted to see her come again first. Luckily, once she got started, it was usually a lot easier to keep her going. Sometimes he could even do it with just his words.

“That’s right, kitten. There you go. That’s what you really wanted, wasn’t it? A cock in your mouth and a happy pussy.” He chuckled when she shivered all over, “Maybe one of these days we’ll find you a nice fat toy for you to fuck yourself on while you suck me off, hmm?”

She whimpered and tightened around his hand as he scraped his teeth against her skin. Now that he’d said it, he couldn’t get over the idea. It would be fucking hot as hell. He knew Hancock had drawers full of shit like that. He just needed to somehow find out where he was getting them from and they’d be in business.

His eyes flitted to the window and he grinned to himself, “Yeah, set you up right in front of the window. On your knees, my hands in your hair. Pussy stuffed full while I shove my cock down your throat.”

Nora moaned and shifted her legs a little wider. Mac took the opportunity to push a third finger inside her and that did it. The pressure snapped and her pussy convulsed around his knuckles. He could feel her dripping down his arm and withdrew his hand to lick himself clean.

“Goddamn, you taste so good. I’d almost forgotten that.” A weak, desperate little whine came from her throat and he rubbed her ass in a soothing sort of way. “I know, sweetheart. I know. You want a taste, too, huh?” The whine grew louder and he chuckled at the sound. He planted his feet against the mattress and gently rocked into her mouth, finally giving into the spiraling feeling he’d thus far been successfully ignoring.

“Oh, fuck. Fuck, here it comes, baby.”

The first spasm hit him and he felt his hips jerk up, heard her surprised squeal get cut off by the sound of her working to swallow his load as he flooded her mouth. His body shook under hers and he forcefully pulled her pussy back down to his face, greedily lapping and sucking at the succulent flesh. He could feel her juices dripping down his chin as her thighs trembled under his hands.

By the time he finally had to lay back, too spent to do much more than breathe, he was fairly sure she was on the verge of another orgasm, or pretty damn close at least. In any case, she'd gone completely limp on top of him. As nice as it was to have his head between her thighs like this, he really needed to check in and see how the other end was doing.

Mac tapped her hip to get her attention, “Kitten?”

“Hmm?”

“You okay?”

“M’hmm.”

He chuckled at how floaty she already sounded. “Can you move yet?”

“M’hmm.” She managed to sort of rock and then lurch over to the side, ending up on her back next to him.

Which was a good effort, but she was still facing the wrong way. He sat up and took her hands, pulling her to him. She handled her legs and he handled the rest, cuddling her against his chest while she smiled dreamily at him.

“Good?”

She closed her eyes and nodded and he nodded back, even if she couldn’t see.

He slipped his hand into her hair and rubbed the back of her head gently, “Can’t do words yet?” He smiled at the small, disgruntled noise she made. “That’s okay.”

There was the tiniest drop of his come at the corner of her mouth and he licked it off before kissing her. He’d meant to only do it as a way to keep her from realizing she had it on her at all, since she hated that. The way she immediately purred and shifted restlessly against him had him changing his plans though.

Mac rolled them both until he was laying overtop of her, already between her legs and trailing kisses down her neck while he waited for her to recover enough to start round two. Or continue round one, maybe. Whatever.

He was feasting on her breast when her hand finally brushed over his head. A quick glance upward revealed her smiling, but her eyes still hadn’t opened. Not all the way back yet, but close.

“I missed you.” It came out softly. Barely above a whisper and almost completely swallowed up by the soft sound of his suckling.

His mouth left her nipple and skimmed along her skin to the other one, mouthing the words against her before latching on. “I missed you, too.”

“Hmm.”

The happy way she hummed had him smiling again and he made his way back up to nibble on her lips. “Open your eyes, Nora.”

Her forehead creased for a moment, effort struggling to overcome instinct, and she finally blinked up at him. He kissed the tip of her nose and she giggled.

“Hi.”

“Hi, beautiful.” He smirked a little, “Worth the wait?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Her arms twined around his neck and she pulled him down further to whisper in his ear. “RJ?”

“Hmm?”

“I want you inside me.”

Mac pulled back enough to stare at her blushy face and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Please?”

He laughed and kissed her sweet and slow while he got himself in position. _ “Definitely _ a fan of the new Nora.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.” He pressed the tip of his cock against her and started to ease in, groaning softly at the hot, wet feel of her. “Course, I was a big fan of the old Nora, too.”

Her nails dug into his shoulders as she shifted her hips under him, “You were?”

“M’hmm.” Fuck, she felt good. Still a little tight though. Probably nerves. Mac sat back on his heels and gently spread her thighs further apart and up. It helped some and he watched the slow way his cock was slipping into her. “Fuck, baby. You gotta relax for me a little.” His hand ran along her leg and he thumbed her clit gently. “Come on, sweetheart. You can take it.”

She shivered all over and bit her lip as she squirmed, “It’s bigger than it was.”

He chuckled, “No, it’s not. You just aren’t used to it anymore.”

“No, it’s _ bigger.” _

His eyes met hers and as flattering as it was, his eyebrow still went up. “Really, kitten? You think I wouldn’t have noticed something like that?”

Nora huffed at him and sat up, wrapping her cool fingers around the base of his cock and surprising a yelp out of him. “See? There used to be a gap of exactly one-half inch between my thumb and middle finger when I had my hand here. Now what is it?”

This felt like some kind of weird adolescent dream where he was naked without his homework and that was totally fine because the teacher was hot as hell. He glanced down and scooted forward a bit while she was distracted. “I dunno… three quarters?”

“An _ inch and a half. _ I noticed it when… earlier.”

Mac tore his eyes away from her pussy and paused at the serious, mildly irritated look on her face. She meant it. She meant it and she was mad about it. “Curie?”

_ “Curie.” _

He chuckled, “Is it really that bad?”

“It’s just… a lot.” She flopped back on the bed, still scowling.

Still dripping wet around him though. He leaned over her and stared down at her face. “Is it too much?” When she opened her mouth to answer, he flexed his hips forward.

She moaned and wiggled down to meet him, “No.”

“Do you want to stop?” Another hard flex and he was almost there.

“No.” It came out as a quiet whimper and he grinned at her.

“Then quit your bitching.”

“I am not bitching.”

“You are, too.” He pulled almost all the way out and glanced down between them. “For someone who’s complaining so much, you sure are creaming pretty hard all over my cock already.”

_ “RJ!” _

He wasn’t even surprised when her hands immediately went to cover her face. He just chuckled and eased back into her. Now that she’d pointed it out, it was kinda hard to deny that either he’d grown here, too, or she’d shrunk somehow. She’d already come at least twice and it was still a tight fit.

By the time he finally bottomed out, her whole body was trembling under him. Every muscle taunt like she was bracing herself. It worried him a little. Mac took her hands in his and pinned them to the bed so she couldn’t hide anymore.

“You okay?”

“M’hmm.”

He frowned. She said it was fine but there was tension on her face. “Are you sure?”

“M’hmm. I’m sure.”

Her voice sounded off, too. Almost like she was holding her breath. He shifted his hips, about to press pause on this and go back to eating her out some more when she gasped and her hands tightened on his. The pressure around his cock was excruciating suddenly and she bucked under him.

“Oh, God!” Her eyes squeezed shut as a sudden orgasm ripped through her. Teeth in her lip to keep from screaming.

Mac froze in place and watched her shiver. Almost halfway through it, he was able to slip just a little further in and she cried out again.

He let her hands go and brushed her hair off her forehead, “Shh, it’s okay. Just let it happen, baby.”

“W-why is it --” She started panting and wrapped her arms around his neck. “What is this?”

“I uh… well, I think you might be a bit of a size queen, sweetheart.”

“A what?”

“It’s what Hancock always called people who uh… you know, enjoyed being um, kinda… _ extra _full.”

“Oh.”

“You still alright?”

“I’m alright. It just surprised me.”

He laughed, “Yeah, surprised me, too.”

“Sorry.”

“No, nope. Don’t say sorry. This is actually really good.”

“It is?”

“For us? Yeah. It’s really, _ really _ good. Lucky.” For once. Kind of amazing.

“Oh.”

“Uh-huh.” He watched her face and slowly swiveled his hips, smirking to himself when her eyes fluttered shut as her pussy pulsed around him. “Yeah, it’s definitely a good thing.”

She frowned, but kept her eyes closed. “I feel like you’re just being mean now.”

He chuckled and slowly started pumping in and out of her, “Maybe.” His teeth tugged on her pouty bottom lip and he kissed her. “Tell me if it’s too much, alright?”

“Alright.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

He began to move in earnest. Nora’s nails scored his back and he groaned at the feel of it. The little gasps and moans coming from her were driving him crazy and he surged deep and hard suddenly, just once, throwing his weight behind it to test the waters. She bucked under him and her legs wrapped around his waist.

“Too much?” He paused and lipped at her neck, his heart pounding in his ears.

“No. It’s so good. Please?”

Mac chuckled, “Please more?”

“M’hmm.”

Just a few more hard thrusts and she was convulsing around him again. He knew it was mostly just her and how she was built, but for some reason he felt very smug about the whole thing and he paused again. “Fuck, you just can’t get enough, can you, kitten?”

Her eyes were so dark and heavy-lidded now as she panted up at him, “Oh, don’t stop. Don’t. Please.”

“You want it, baby?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah?” He raised up and dug his hands in on her hips. “How bad, huh?”

She squirmed against him, “Please.”

“You need to feel this big cock come inside you, don’t you, sweetheart?”

“Yes.”

“Want me to fuck you so hard you scream.”

“RJ, _ please.” _

“Wanna spend all day tomorrow feeling it drip out, soaking into your panties, don’t you?”

Nora twisted in his hold, “Oh, God, please.”

Mac’s eyes trailed down her body. The sheen of sweat on her skin and the way her chest heaved. Further down to where his cock drove into her, glistening with her juices.

“Missed hearing you beg.”

One of her hands covered his, “Please, honey. Pretty please.”

His fingers threaded together with hers and he fell forward to kiss her before trailing down her neck. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. I -- oh!”

Whatever she was about to say was lost in a breathless sob as he moved. Strong, possessive thrusts that had her whimpering. Her hand left his so she could wrap her arms around him. His climax hit him hard, like lightening shooting up his spine, and he just managed to muffle his shout against her skin, setting his teeth in her shoulder so the inevitable bruise wouldn’t show.

He had to wait until his own body stopped shaking before he could make himself let her go, and somehow managed to move back enough to collapse against her chest. Her heartbeat was racing and he knew his was going at least as fast. Maybe even faster since his cock couldn’t seem to stop twitching.

They both stayed quiet for a few moments, trying to catch their breath and enjoying the closeness. Nora ran her fingers through his hair, lightly scratching his scalp just the way he liked. His eyes closed in contentment at the gentle, calming touch he’d been craving so badly these past few months.

“Welcome home.”

He smiled and raised his head. “It’s good to be back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone asks, yes, Nora is demisexual. She has no idea what that is, and neither does anybody else in this universe, but that's what she is. 👍
> 
> HGH has indeed been used in attempts to increase size. Results are mixed but it's Curie, so I'm sure she "fixed" it.🤔 Cause if a little is good, a lot must be better, n'est-ce pas? 😘
> 
> (And of course she's a size queen, Mac. Jeez. We've known that since forever.)


	22. The Art of Small Talk

Mac woke to a quiet room. The window sparkled as morning sunshine was just starting to touch the glass. Farmers beyond it waving at each other as they began their day. He grumbled and closed his eyes. Too early. Assholes around here were always up so goddamn early. True, he was usually one of those assholes himself, but since he hadn’t had decent sleep since arriving in Sanctuary, six was just too fucking early for people to be walking around so goddamn chipper.

There was a wiggle to his left. A warm shape under the quilt. He smiled and turned his head towards it. That’s right. Nora.

She was back.

Morning cuddles with Nora were always the best way to start a day, exhausted or not. He scooted closer and laid his arm over the shape, mumbling as he happily let himself drift back to sleep. “Morning, baby.”

The shape moved and a wet nose suddenly poked his face.

Mac jerked his head back and reluctantly opened one eye. Dogmeat stared at him, an obnoxiously happy doggy grin on his face. He blinked and glanced over towards the window but there was no satin robe on the floor. No sign of her at all in the room. Everything looked exactly as it had since he got here. He groaned and rolled back over.

Should’ve known it had all been just a dream.

As he lay there in a funk, soft sounds floated into the room from the open door. Codsworth in the kitchen like usual. Muttering as he worked, quietly banging around while he started breakfast. Boys would be up soon. The day was beginning whether he wanted it to or not. He forced his eyes back open and frowned to himself thoughtfully. Had he actually done those security checks or had that just been part of the dream, too?

“One dozen?”

“No, honey. We’ve got… goodness, five boys this morning. Plus you know Deacon never fails to show up for a free meal.”

The Mister Handy chuckled, “Quite right.”

“Curie might be joining us, too. Two eggs per person, that’s at least sixteen. Let’s just do a full two dozen and call it a day.”

“Omelets for the adults?”

“Breakfast scramble, I think. I’m not really sure what everybody likes yet. Have you cataloged any preferences?”

“Young Mister Wilks claims to love black coffee but always sneaks sugar. Master Duncan is quite reluctant to try any food he hasn’t already had before, but our Shaun can usually get him to eat whatever he’s eating. Mister Charon does not eat.”

“He doesn’t eat?”

“No, mum. Not that I have seen.”

“Interesting.”

“It is my understanding that, strictly speaking, ghouls do not require food.”

She laughed quietly, “Well somebody should mention that to Hancock the next time he tries to steal all my cookies.”

“Oh! I’d almost forgotten that! He’s quite cheeky at times, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is…” She sighed heavily, “He’s probably not very happy with me right now. I might have to make him a  _ lot _ of cookies to make up for what I did.”

He tutted, “I’m sure he understands. You were busy doing a very important job. It’s common knowledge that it’s rude to disturb someone when they’re working. Especially when what they’re doing is so precarious.”

“Hmm.”

Mac tumbled out of bed and stopped in the doorway. Nora was puttering around in the kitchen with Codsworth. Hair pulled back in a loose braid, that cute pink apron she always wore over her clothes. Not a dream. Real.

_ “Nora.” _

She’d been scowling at the juicer. It just was not interested in cooperating this morning. She had to lean nearly all of her weight on the handle to make it go down. Shaun must have used it for that melon fizz he was so fond of and forgot to wipe down the hinges after. Whole thing seemed sticky.

She looked up and smiled, trying to not giggle at the picture Mac made. His hair was hopelessly disheveled, that grumpy scowl that always said he hadn’t had enough sleep on his face. Those pretty eyes of his were practically screwed shut against the soft light.

“Good morning, honey.” She motioned over towards the living room and whispered loudly, “Try to keep your voice down. Bryan’s still asleep. I’m not sure where Charon is just yet.”

“Yeah. Morning.” He stumbled over to her and wrapped her in a giant hug. “You’re here.”

She couldn't help but snuggle against him. He smelled amazing and was so, so warm. It felt like being dipped in a vat of serotonin. “Well, of course I am. Where else would I be?”

“Thought it was a dream.”

That had her giggling. She’d known he would wake up a little discombobulated, but she hadn’t thought it would be this bad. “Which part?”

He chuckled, “All of it.”

“Oh.”

“Makin’ the works this morning, huh?” He finally let her go and took in all the bowls and whisks and trays scattered about the kitchen.

“Oh, well… I mean, it’s our first breakfast all together. I wanted it to be special.”

He gave her that soft smile that always had her tummy fluttering. The one that said she’d done a good thing and he thought she was cute for doing it. “That’s sweet, baby. I’m sure it’ll be great.”

Codsworth focused an aperture on him, “Ah... sir?”

“Hmm?”

He was still staring at Nora as she went back to work, leaning against the counter like he was just going to stand there all day. Not that the whole idea was terrible or anything. She tended to shy away from the spotlight but having his attention on her was a whole other thing. It was just hard to focus on what she was supposed to be doing when he was so close and so rumpled and so  _ interested. _ It kind of had her wishing they could just both pretend to take ill suddenly and spend the whole day in bed. She could feel her cheeks growing hotter by the second.

“It may not be my place, but I believe you may want to put on a shirt before the boys wake up.”

“Hmm? What?” He finally stopped staring and glanced down at himself. The loose pants were the same ones he’d been wearing at the breakfast table since they arrived. “Why?”

“Ah… well… you’re a little…”

Nora frowned at Codsworth, trying to make sense of his hesitation and then turned to really study Mac. “Oh.”

“Oh?”

She eyed the scratches and other marks that she somehow must have left over the course of their night. “You um… he’s right, honey. You might want to put on a shirt.”

He was lazily scratching his head and finally gave himself a proper once over, snickering a little. “Oh. Oh, right. Yeah.” His eyes fell on where he knew a bruise was just hidden by the collar of her shirt. “Smart. That’d probably… uh… baby?”

“Hmm?” She decided to wrap a towel around the stupid handle. At least then the stickiness wouldn’t get all over her.

“What uh… what are you wearing exactly?” He’d tilted his head and leaned back a little, clearly staring at her bottom.

Nora paused and twisted, looking down at herself. She hadn’t sat in flour, had she? That would be crazy embarrassing. Navy was a forgiving color but it certainly wouldn’t forgive  _ that.  _ She couldn’t see anything wrong from her angle and frowned in confusion. “What you told me to wear.”

_ “I  _ told you?”

“You asked if I’d wear my short shorts today. With my sailor top. We talked about it, remember?”

“Huh.”

“I’m glad you did, too. Codsworth says the heat’s going to be just  _ awful _ today.”

An eyestalk bobbed in agreement, “Quite right. Ghastly humidity coming in this afternoon, possible thunderstorm this evening. And, if I may, mum, you look quite charming today. Positively refreshing! A flap collar on a sleeveless blouse is such a timeless look. It’s a shame more ladies don’t wear it nowadays.”

“Thanks, honey.” She scrunched up her nose, “I do  _ hate _ humidity.”

“Don’t we _all,_ Miss Nora?”

Mac was still squinting hard at her shorts. “Deacon design all this, too?”

“Yes, although, I’m fairly sure he got the idea from when we watched  _ How to Marry a Millionaire. _ So really Travilla designed them. He was quite famous for dressing Betty Grable, you know.”

Codsworth piped up again, “The girl with the million dollar legs!”

“Exactly.”

There was a sour look on his face. The same one he often wore whenever Deacon was involved. “Uh-huh.” He shuffled off, “I’m gettin’ dressed.”

“Okay!”

They watched him go and Codsworth muttered to her, “Perhaps you and Mister MacCready should attempt an earlier bedtime tonight, mum.”

“Perhaps you’re right.”

Movement from the living room caught her eye. She couldn’t help but smile at the helmet that suddenly appeared over the back of the couch. Such a funny, charming little quirk. She liked Mac’s friends already. They seemed the colorful sort.

She watched Bryan shake his head and stretch. By the time he stood and started shambling towards them, yawning behind a hand (manners!) she had a cup of coffee, with just the tiniest hint of sugar in it, in her hand. First impressions were important and she felt like making an extra effort to erase his memory of her slightly scandalous behavior last night was critical if she were to make fast friends here.

Nora smiled brightly at him and held out the coffee, “Good morning, Mister Wilks! My name is Nora Cabot. How do you do?”

Now he was supposed to say ‘Hello, my name is Bryan Wilks. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance’, or something similar. When he didn’t, and just stared at her with huge green eyes, she kept smiling, though she had to look away a bit. Direct eye contact was just the worst.

“Um… this coffee is for you. To drink. For breakfast?” Some kind of strange, strangled noise came from his throat and she took a step towards him, “Are you alright, honey?”

“I’m… uh…”

Charon was suddenly there. Somehow. Looming behind Bryan like an oak tree. He’d approached so silently she hadn’t even noticed until he cleared his throat.

Her polite introductions smile got redirected to him. “Oh! You must be Mister Charon! It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so many stories of you both that I feel as if we already know each other. Codsworth told me you don’t have much of an appetite but would you care for some coffee?”

“Thank you.” He accepted the cup and then shook her hand carefully. “We have heard a lot about you, too.”

That accent. Interesting. “I beg your pardon, but are you originally from New York City by any chance? One of my brothers settled down there with a very nice local girl and her whole family sounded just like you at the wedding. Almost, I mean. It’s a little muddled, but there’s a certain emphasis to your words is all.”

“I do not remember where I am originally from.”

“Oh! Oh, that’s right! I completely forgot! Mac said there were some memory issues. My apologies.” She smiled and set her hand on his arm to convey reassurance and empathy. Deacon always said little touches like that were very important when you were trying to connect with someone. “But don’t fret. I’m sure Doctor Amari in Goodneighbor will be able to help you. Her memory loungers are truly revolutionary when it comes to things like repressed memories and brain mapping and --”

“I’m-Bryan-Wilks-it’s-nice-to-meet-you!”

The sentence suddenly tumbled out of his mouth as if it were all one word. She started at the interruption and turned her attention back to Bryan as Charon moved past them both and wordlessly took a seat at the table. He grabbed her hand and his handshake was decidedly less than gentle and rather clammy when all was said and done. Still, he’d spoken his line in the script, so now it was her turn.

“It’s so nice to meet you, too! I’m sorry I wasn’t here to personally welcome you to Sanctuary. I do hope you’re finding everything to your liking! I’m so excited that you decided to come! Mac told me you’ve got a special knack for tracking down difficult to find components and things. I can’t tell you how very useful that will be around here! Not that anyone expects you to get right to work or anything!” She laughed, “You’re still considered our guests until we find you proper lodging, of course, and guests are not required to work. That would just be rude.” Oh, no. This was just so nerve-wracking. The babbling had already started. She should stop. Remember to obey the laws of small talk. Ask him something about himself. “How was your trip up?”

He was still staring a bit. Definitely blinking less than a typical person did, but he managed to answer. “Good! It was good. Fine, really. It’s uh… I mean, flying, am I right?” He grinned at her and she smiled back.

“Oh, my, yes. Goodness. Air travel has always had its own unique set of issues, hasn’t it? And traveling with a child must have been extra difficult. But I’m so, so, glad you’re all here. It’s practically all I thought about all summer!”

“Yeah! Yeah, it’s uh… yeah, I’m excited. I am definitely excited to be here.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!”

“M’hmm. Yeah, I uh… I’ve heard so much about you, too. I feel like we’re practically family already.”

Nora was pretty sure if she smiled any wider, her cheeks would fall off, but she just couldn’t help it. It was going so well! She wanted to bounce a bit but funneled the impulse into clapping quietly a few times. “Oh, I do, too!”

Some of it must have slipped past her anyway because Bryan was bouncing a little himself now. “Man, I tell you, Mac must have written a million letters about you but he just didn’t do it justice. You are like, just,  _ crazy _ gor… uh, great! Just great! And Sanctuary’s great, too! The pictures just didn’t... I mean, it’s uh… it’s even _more_ beautiful in person, which I  _ did not _ think was possible. I have never felt so welcome in a place in my whole dang life.”

“Oh, really? Do you mean it, Mister Wilks?”

“I absolutely do.” He took both of her hands in his, “And please, call me Bryan.”

“Alright, Bryan, and please do call me Nora. You know, Mac told me a lot about you, too, but he never mentioned you were so charming!”

He leaned in conspiratorially, “Well, you know how our boy is. He’s not exactly the descriptive sort, now is he?”

“Oh, I suppose not. He didn’t even mention your helmet once now that I’m thinking about it.”

“Ah, you like it? Complete cranial protection at all times. Been wearing one since I was a kid.”

“That’s very practical of you.”

“You know what? We are gonna get along great. I can already tell.”

“You can?”

“Yup. I feel like I have another sister already.”

“Oh! That’s so sweet of you to say.”

Bryan opened his arms wide and smiled at her, “Welcome to the family, sis.”

“Well, thank you.” Nora hugged him back and laughed when he started rocking them back and forth. “My word, honey. I had no idea you were so affectionate. That must have been nice for Duncan while Mac was away.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m big into hugging. Always have been. That’s me. The hug guy. You ever need a quick snuggle, you can just --”

_ “Bryan!” _

Mac’s sharp exclamation made them both jump and Nora smiled at him as his friend stepped back. He looked even grumpier now, but oh! Still so handsome in the new uniforms. Going with the dark cobalt was absolutely the right choice there. He probably just needed to eat.

“Hey, honey! I just met --”

“Yeah, I saw.” He put his hand on the back of Bryan’s neck and pushed him along towards the front porch. “We’ll be right back. Just gotta… we’ll just be back.”

“Alright. Try to not be too long! Breakfast is almost ready!”

“Yup.”

He all but tossed him out the door and she shook her head, tsking at him. For heaven’s sake. The manners on that man.

“I hope everything’s alright. He said he was going to talk to Bryan this morning so he’d behave himself, but I really don’t think it’s necessary. He’s been a perfect gentleman so far!”

Charon sipped his coffee and shrugged, “It will be fine. Bryan keeps his helmet on for a reason.”

“Miss Nora?”

“Yes, Codsworth?”

“We are five minutes out.”

“Oh! Okay.” She took off her apron and dusted a bit of flour off her shirt. “I’ll go see what’s keeping the boys. It’s not like Shaun to be anything but early for breakfast.”

“He and Master Duncan have been staying up late reading and the like. Mister MacCready said it was acceptable as long as they did not stay up past ten.”

“Oh, I see. That’s so cute. Well, we’ll give them a few more minutes, then.”

“Of course, mum.”

Nora sat at the table with her own coffee and smiled at Charon, “How do you like Sanctuary, Mister Charon?”

“Just Charon is fine. Sanctuary seems like a safe place.”

She nodded, “We work very hard to make sure that it stays that way.”

“The people here are not afraid of ghouls.”

“Well, of course not! Why on earth… oh! Oh, that’s right. I’ve heard there’s a lot more prejudice in the Capitol Wasteland.” She sighed, “Although honestly, we see more of that backward thinking than I’d like around here, too. But all Minutemen communities are open to anyone who wishes to live there. We don’t tolerate discrimination like that. We have ghoul soldiers and farmers and teachers. All sorts.”   


“And this works for your empire?”

“Empire? I don’t… I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but the Commonwealth isn’t an  _ empire.” _

“Oh.”

“We have elections within the settlements. A council that we’re hoping to have meet at some point, if we can ever get everyone to agree to a date. I am the Minutemen’s general and all, but we work for the people.  _ I _ work for the people. Even if it were an empire, it would belong to everyone.”

“That is interesting.”

“M’hmm. Anyway, a big part of having an empire is conquest. We... that is, myself and my senior staff, have no interest in looking beyond our current borders. To be perfectly honest, when we accidentally acquired a few settlements in Maine, it actually made me uncomfortable. I just don’t feel it’s possible to give them the same attention that we can give Boston proper. Someday I hope they feel secure enough to become independent again. I’d love to have them as allies, of course, and friends. They could maybe be the Maine Minutemen and we can be Massachusetts branch. I think that’d be nice… although I am certainly grateful for the chickens.”

“Chickens?”

“Yes! Far Harbor has radchickens. We keep some for eggs.”

“Oh.”

“M’hmm.”

Maybe Charon would be a little harder to get to know than dear Bryan. He was taciturn and almost aloof, but still, he seemed very nice and Mac had always had nothing but nice things to say about him. She just had to keep at it.

Mac came back through the front door and snapped his fingers a few times to get their attention. “Nora. Bedroom, please. I need a word.”

“Oh.” She hated to leave her new friend alone at the table, but there was nothing to be done for it. “I do beg your pardon, Charon. I’ll just be a moment.”

“Of course.”

She gave Mac a scoldy kind of look as she walked past him, “Honestly, honey. That was very rude to --”

The moment the door shut behind them, he had her against it. His mouth on hers as his hands slipped behind her and slid into her back pockets. Nora found herself kissing him back, suddenly no longer caring if they were being rude or not. His hands squeezed and lifted her, just a bit, and she moaned and squirmed in his hold, trying to get closer.

By the time he let her take a breath, she wasn’t even entirely sure who she’d left at the table to begin with.

“What’re you doing?”

He smiled, “Saying good morning the right way.”

“Oh.” She smiled back. “Good morning.” He was always so sweet. Except when he wasn’t. “Is everything okay with Bryan?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

“Okay.” He’d made it impossible to anyway the way he was idly grinding against her. Her head was already starting to feel floaty and distracted despite her best efforts. “Boys will be up soon.”

“I know.” Mac backed up a little but wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight, murmuring in her ear. “I really just wanted to let you know that sometime today… I’m not exactly sure when yet, but sometime, I’m gonna get you alone someplace, bend you over something, pull these  _ ridiculously hot _ shorts down, and fuck you silly.”

Heat suddenly flooded into her cheeks and other places. She hid her face against his neck and smiled a little as that wicked chuckle he was always so good at rumbled in his chest. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and willed herself to be brave.

“You promise?” It still came out a little wobbly and breathless, but she was nonetheless proud of the attempt.

“Promise.” He laughed again and lipped at her earlobe. “Now let’s get outta here before Codsworth starts to feel like he’s gotta try to give the boys the birds and the bees talk.”

Nora was all too aware that her face was pink when they came back out, but only Charon seemed to acknowledge their return. Bryan sat sullen and silent in his seat and Codsworth was already busy plating.

She sat next to the ghoul and smiled, “I’m sorry about that.”

“Not your fault.” His eyes followed Mac as he sat down.

Bryan nodded, “Yeah, it’s not  _ your  _ fault.”

Her head tilted a little at the emphasis. Surely it was no one’s fault, was it? Besides, it was just a small interruption. Or maybe hosts were expected to be even more attentive where they were from. Mac had said Bryan’s aunt was a very dignified kind of lady, so he’d be expecting good manners and gentility, wouldn’t he? She tapped her coffee cup as she thought it over. It would have been nice if Deacon had given her a heads up or something on the cultural differences between here and there, but they had been a little busy lately. Plus, they did get back shockingly early. Maybe he’d meant to say something closer to their arrival but they’d beat him to it.

There was a faint sound under the regular noises of breakfast being served that eventually penetrated her musing. Almost sounded like something dripping? She zeroed in on the noise and leaned over just a bit. A puddle was forming under Bryan’s chair. His clothes didn’t seem wet though. A closer look revealed that his hair was positively soaked under his helmet.

“Oh! Bryan! Are you alright? Did something happen?”

“Huh?”

“Your hair’s wet, honey.”

His face went stony and he glared at Mac for a moment, dropping his eyes when he got a hateful look in return. “Nah, it’s… it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Would you like a towel?”

He grumbled, “No, I’m good. Thanks.”

“Oh. Okay.” She was about to ask if maybe he’d tripped and fallen into one of the rain barrels outside when a door slammed open upstairs.

“Ohmygosh it’s  _ breakfast! _ Hurry up, Dunk!”

She laughed as they came tearing along the walkway. Sounded like a herd of elephants. “Someone’s hungry.”

Shaun finally saw her on the third to the last step down and jumped the rest. “Mom!”

“Hi, baby.” She barely had time to open her arms before he was in them, hugging and jumping excitedly.

“You’re home! I didn’t think you’d be back until Sunday!”

“Oh, I was… able to move some things around.”

“That’s so great!”

“M’hmm.”

He finally spared a glance at the rest of the table and grinned, “You met everybody?”

“Yes, I did.”

“They’re so great! Don’t you think they’re great?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Oh!” He dashed away, grabbed Duncan by the arm and pulled him over to the table. “Look! Duncan’s here, too!”

“Well, yes, one would hope so.” Nora smiled at the little boy currently trying to hide behind Shaun. “Hello, Duncan. My name’s Nora. I’m Shaun’s mom. It’s very nice to meet you.” Pretty, dark eyes stared solemnly up at her and she felt something squeeze at her heart. God help her if she ever had to try to tell him no.

“Hi.”

Ah! The little voice was so cute, too! So soft and sweet. She wanted to jump up and twirl him around but that would no doubt terrify the poor thing. Instead she settled for tapping the brim of his cap.

“I like your hat. You look very handsome in it.”

“It was Daddy’s.”

“I know.” She leaned a little closer and whispered, “I think it looks better on you though.”

He was still pressed up under Shaun’s arm but edged a little closer. Progress. “Really?”

“Really really. How do you like Sanctuary so far? Has everyone been treating you nice?” He nodded and she nodded, too. “Good. I’m glad to hear it. I bet you’ve met a bunch of new people in the past few days, haven’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah. That can kinda hard, can’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“M’hmm. Well, hopefully things will calm down a little and you can get settled in. Did Shaun tell you about going to school in the fall?”

“Yeah! I told him all about it!”

She smiled at him, “Oh, good. Well, until then, it’s summer break and your job this summer is the same as all the other kids in Sanctuary. Did Shaun tell you about your job? It’s  _ very _ important.”

He shook his head, “No.”

“Your job is to have all the fun and adventure you possibly can. Okay? Think you can do that for me?”

He smiled a little, “Okay.”

“Okay.” She studied his face, “Gosh, you know, I really thought you looked like your daddy at first, but that smile. That’s all your mama.”

“Did you know Mama?”

“No, baby, I didn’t. I wish I had. But I’ve heard a lot about her, and we have her picture on the book shelf.” She pointed at the bookcase in the living room. “Did you see it yet?”

“No.”

_ “No? _ Well… for heaven’s sake. Come on.” She got up and took his hand. Shaun trailed behind them. Once they got there, she realized there was actually no way in hell this tiny boy was going to be able to see his mother’s picture on the top shelf and huffed at her own silliness. Should have put it someplace sensible like on a side table. “It’s kind of high up here.” She turned without thinking to ask as Duncan raised his arms and she hefted him up, settling him on her hip. “My goodness, you’re so big already! Soon you’ll be as tall as Shaun!” His little giggle had her smiling and she pointed at the picture of Lucy and Mac in that diner in Rivet City. “See? That’s her.”

“That’s my mama?”

“Yup. Wasn’t she pretty?”

“Yeah.”

“You know what? I have an idea.” She plucked it off the shelf and handed it to him. “Why don’t we let you pick a new place for it so you can see her whenever you want, hmm? Oh, if it’s okay with Daddy. It’s technically his picture.”  She turned so they could both face the kitchen. “Mac? Is that okay?”

That soft smile was back. “Yeah. Put her wherever you want, Dunk.”

“Yay!” She set him down and chuckled as Shaun immediately peered over his shoulder.

“Wow! She was  _ really _ pretty!”

“M’hmm. She was smart, too. Duncan’s mama was a doctor who helped people all over the Capitol Wasteland.”

_ “Wow!” _

“Isn’t that nice?”

“It’s  _ awesome! _ Duncan! Do you know what that means? It means you’re gonna be super smart, too! My mom’s smart, so that’s how I’m smart. That's how it works! Your mom was smart, so  _ you’re _ gonna be smart! That’s so great! We’re gonna build so much cool stuff together!”

“Alright, alright, honey. Let’s take things one step at a time, okay? Right now we’re focusing on a good place to put Lucy’s picture.”

“Oh, that was her name?”

“Yup.”

“Neat! Like that fossil they found!”

“Yup. Our earliest known ancestor. It’s a great name.”

Duncan looked around the room and finally walked over to the radio cabinet, carefully setting the frame on top. Nora and Shaun walked up behind him and she nodded.

“That’s the perfect spot.”

“Yeah! Now we can all see her whenever we want!” He narrowed his eyes at the picture, “Uncle Mac, you look funny without your beard thing.”

“Goatee, sweetheart.”

“Right, that.”

Mac chuckled, “Yeah, well… couldn’t really grow one yet back then.”

“Alright, let’s all eat, now, hmm?” Nora shepherded them back to the table and sat down herself.

Bryan was squinting at the photo across the room. “Is that really a picture of Lucy?”

“Yeah, Nora gave it to me for Christmas.”

He frowned, clearly puzzled. “Where’d you get a picture of her?”

“Oh! Well.” Nora finished tucking Shaun’s napkin into his shirt before answering. “You see, we have a mutual friend, Mister Vadim --”

“Vadim Bobrov?”

“Yes! The exact same. Do you know him, too?”

“Yeah.”

“Well when you visit Diamond City, you should go see him! He and his brother run the Dugout Inn.”

“Huh.”

“Anyway! He’d mentioned seeing Lucy once, and then Mac told me he didn’t have pictures of her and that just seemed so awful. So I asked Mister Vadim to go see Doctor Amari in Goodneighbor so his memory of her could get mapped!”

Bryan just looked more confused, “Wait, so… that picture is the picture of somebody’s memory?”

“That’s right! All memory lounger sessions are recorded. It’s all part of her ongoing research project. So she picked out the best frame and printed it on photo paper and… well, and that was it. I put it in a frame and gave it to Mac at Christmas.”

“Huh. Excuse me, please.”

“Oh, sure!” She watched him go over and look at the picture. “She really was beautiful. I understand the two of you were quite close.”

“Yeah, we were.”

“That’s nice. I always wanted a sister myself.” She wrinkled her nose. “Instead I got stuck with six brothers.”

Mac blinked at her,  _ “Six _ brothers?”

“M’hmm.”

“You never said you had six brothers.”

“I didn’t?”

“No.”

“Oh.” She shrugged, “Well, they were all much older than I was. The youngest was fourteen by the time I came along, so it’s not like we grew up together. I mostly saw them on holidays and birthdays and things.”

“Huh. I never knew that.”

Bryan returned to the table, “I didn’t have any blood siblings myself, but Lucy showed up in Rivet City one day and just sorta adopted me.”

Nora smiled, “I can see why. You’re definitely little brother material.”

Charon snorted and almost choked on his coffee at that. Bryan rolled his eyes before starting on his eggs.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Done!” Shaun’s fork clattered to his plate and he held his hands above his head.

She sighed, “Finished.”

“Finished!”

“Already finished!” Deacon scowled at them all from the doorway, “You mean you didn’t wait for me to start?!”

“Papa D, if we’d waited for you, we’d have starved by now!”

“Oh, I see. Well, pardon my tardiness then.” He came in and nodded to everybody before smiling at Nora. “Ah, the sailor outfit. That’s one of my all-time favorites.”

“Codsworth said it’s going to be very hot today.”

“I don’t doubt that.” He flopped down in a chair, “I really think the hat would pull it all together though. Did you show Mac?”

Her cheeks grew hot, “No, and I’m not going to! That hat is ridiculous. I am not wearing it! Anyway, it looks cuter on Dogmeat.”

Mac shook his head, “The  _ hat’s _ the ridiculous part. Okay.”

Deacon started on his eggs and smirked at him from across the table, “The hat makes the outfit. Trust me.”

Curie suddenly appeared through the screen door and squealed, “Madame! It is true! You are back!”

_ “Bonjour, _ Curie!  _ Comment s'est passé votre voyage à _ Capital Wasteland?” She got up to give her a hug as she came inside.

_ “Ah! Bon! Mon voyage a été merveilleux!” _

_ “Fantastique!” _

Mac listened to them babbling in French and smiled to himself. It had been a while since he’d seen Curie’s mouth move so fast, or seen her quite so animated. Bryan was now staring at the two women like he’d never seen one in his life and he made a face at how obvious he was being about it. He kicked his shin under the table hard since a quick dunk in a rain barrel apparently hadn’t gotten the message all the way through that stupid helmet of his.

_“Ow!_ What?”

“You know what.”

He scowled, “I can’t even  _ look? _ Really?”

Deacon turned and frowned at him, practically radiating territorial aggravation. “Look at  _ what, _ exactly?”

Bryan seemed to decide staring at his eggs was the safest bet and kept his eyes glued to his plate. “Nothing. Nothing at all. Uh, sir.”

“M’hmm.” He took a drink of his coffee and shook his head. “Kids today.”

“Grown men today, too.” Mac raised his eyebrow at him. “She told me you design most of her clothes.”

He shrugged, “So?”

“So, don’t you think some of them are a little… much?”

“I’m surprised at you, Mac. You sound positively prehistoric. Nora’s a beautiful woman. Anything you put her in is gonna look provocative, so why fight it? Shoot, I bet I could slap her in a nun’s habit and she’d turn more than one man away from God if you know what I’m sayin’.”

He sighed, “I almost never know what you’re saying.”

Shaun shot his hands in the air again, “Duncan’s done!”

Nora paused speaking to Curie long enough to huff at him, “Finished!”

“Duncan’s finished!” He grinned at her, “So can we go get your rifle?”

“Alright, you can get started without me. It’s in the closet.”

“Yes!” He scrambled out of his chair and grabbed Duncan’s hand. “Wait ‘til you see it! It’s gorgeous!”

Bryan watched them scurry away and smiled, “What’s gorgeous?”

“Nora’s rifle.”

Deacon nodded, “Work of art.”

“What’s she carry?”

“Gauss rifle.”

“Jeez, those things are loud, aren’t they? Isn’t that dangerous for a woman to carry?”

“Nah, she'd made a bunch of modifications to it. Bit of a tinkerer, you know. It’s got a suppressor on it.”

“Wow. Those are rare. Where’d she find one?”

“Didn’t. Made one.” Deacon grabbed a biscuit and munched on a piece. “It’s kinda funny, actually. She’d had it maybe a week and one day I come in to find her banging away at a workbench. Said it was too loud so she was gonna invent something to make it quieter.”

“Wait, she didn’t know they had suppressors, so she just built one?”

“Yup.”

“From scratch?”

“Yup.”

His head tilted thoughtfully, “Was she some kinda… I dunno, lady gunslinger person before the war?”

Mac shook his head, “Nope. Never liked guns at all. She told me she’d gone skeet shooting a few times as a kid, but other than that, nada.”

“So how’d she learn so much about that stuff?”

Deacon raised his hand, “That’d be me.”

“Yup.”

“You?”

“Yeah, me.”

“How long did it take her to learn?”

He took a big breath and blew it out slowly while he counted, “Well… I guess about a month with her pistol before she was what I would call proficient. The rifle came easier to her. I’d say a couple of weeks on that. We had a laser rifle she practiced with. She’d picked it up at, uh… well, actually a paladin gifted her with it.”

“A paladin gifted her a gun?”

“Yeah, well, she kinda accidentally saved his bacon so… but the thing sucked, as most laser rifles do.” He waved a hand at the two boys running back out of the bedroom with the rifle between them. “Unless Shaun’s making it, of course, then they’re amazing.”

Bryan whistled, “That  _ is _ a gorgeous rifle.”

“Yeah.” Mac smiled at Nora as she came and sat back at the table, “She’s talented.”

She blinked at him, “What? Talented at what?”

“Everything.”

“Oh, Mac. Really now.” She blushed and shook her head, “I’m not talented at everything. Goodness.”

Deacon nodded, “That’s true.”

He scowled, “Dude.”

“What she is, is  _ determined. _ If she decides to learn how to do something, she doesn’t give up. No matter what.” He grinned at her, “Isn’t that right, bun-bun?”

“Well, I don’t know about that, but it does bother me when I can’t do a thing I want to do.”

“M’hmm.” He leaned towards Bryan conspiratorially, “I know going from not even knowing how to load a pistol to being a surgeon with a gauss rifle in under two months sounds crazy impressive, but she practiced about fourteen hours a day,  _ every day, _ for those two months. Her poor little hands were just beat all to hell by the time she was satisfied with herself.”

Her cheeks went a little brighter, “I just didn’t want to embarrass anybody by being inadequate in the field!”

He jerked his thumb towards her, “See? You point her at a goal, she hits the goal. Our girl’s relentless.”

“Mom!”

Nora leaned over to look into the living room and frowned a bit, “Oh, Shaun. Honey. I really wish you’d remember to put down a drop cloth before you start dismantling things on the coffee table.”

“Oh, right. Sorry!”

“What did you need?”

“I was just wondering what the heck have you been shooting at! This gummy stuff is nuts!”   


“Oh.  _ Oh! _ No, don’t touch that!” She scrambled over and shooed them away, “I’m sorry, baby, but you can’t. You need to let me clean that stuff off first, okay?”

He pouted, “Aw.”

“It’s just not safe. I don’t even… you should both go wash your hands. Right now.”

“Aw, man. Okay. Come on, Dunk.”

Nora stared down at her rifle and sighed, “I can’t believe I forgot that. Codsworth?”

“Yes, mum?”

“Would you mind giving it a once over?”

“Of course.”

“Level…” She tilted her head this way and that, considering. “Two decon. Maybe.”

“Goodness.”

“I know. It’s those stupid gatorclaws. I’m still not sure what their blood is even made of, but it burns like napalm until it dries. All sticky and hot. I left in such a hurry I completely forgot to check the barrel.”

“It’s quite alright, Miss Nora. Give me a few hours and I’ll have it shining good as new.”

“Thank you, honey.”

She returned to the table, still frowning to herself. “How on earth did I forget about that?”

Mac snickered a bit but just shrugged when she looked at him and drank his coffee.

“Gatorclaws? What’s a gatorclaw?”

“Oh! Oh, it’s um…” She had no idea what they had or hadn’t told Bryan and Charon about her situation. Nora stared beseechingly at Deacon until he set his forkful of eggs down and cleared his throat.

“A gatorclaw is what happens when you mix alligators with FEV, of course. Like a deathclaw but  _ snappier.” _

“Jeez. Where the heck did you run into something like that?”

“Uh…” She felt her face go pink and ducked her head. “Nowhere near here. It’s fine. We’re fine. They don’t… they aren’t from the Commonwealth.”

“Snappier than a deathclaw… that’s hard to imagine.” He shook his head, “I hope you were set up someplace far,  _ far _ away when you were going up against something like that.”

Mac sighed, “Obviously she wasn’t if that goop got all over her rifle.” He leveled a hard stare at Deacon. “But she can  _ totally handle herself, _ right?”

He shrugged carelessly, “Sure. She’s fine.”

Bryan was still clearly stuck on the entire concept of gatorclaws. “About how tall would you say they are?”

“Oh, um… I don’t really know.” She stood and started collecting plates. “I should probably get started on the dishes if Codsworth is going to be busy decontaminating things.”

“Just an estimate?”

Nora chanced a peek at Mac and the darkening scowl on his face made her extremely nervous. “I… uh… twelve or maybe fourteen feet tall, I guess?”

“Whew! That is… and _snappier_ than a deathclaw? Seriously?”

She really wished Deacon had gone with a less truthful description of those monstrosities. That was the whole reason she’d wanted him to answer in the first place. “Yes, but they’re extinct now. So there’s nothing for anyone to worry about.”

_ “Extinct?” _

“M’hmm.” Arms successfully full of dishes, she retreated to the sink. It wasn’t that far away, of course, but being able to keep her back to the table was helping alleviate the feeling of being trapped.

“Wow. You really don’t mess around, huh?”

Curie was suddenly at her elbow, pouring herself a cup of coffee. She nudged her and spoke very softly, “Madame?  _ Tu vas bien?” _

She nodded and answered without thinking,  _ “Je vais bien.” _

“Hmm.” She narrowed her eyes a little, studying her face before turning back around, “Bryan! Would you please come with me to my laboratory? There are some new parts I require for my x-ray machine that you may be able to help me with.”

Nora blinked at her. She’d never known Curie could fabricate an excuse like that on the fly. Was this the famous Benji’s influence maybe? Deacon had said he was a master of deception and distraction.

“Oh, sure! When do you want to --”

“Now would be a good time.”

“Oh… okay then.” He gulped down the last of his coffee and stood. “I guess I’ll talk to you later, Nora. It was nice to finally meet you.”

She smiled and waved with a soapy hand, “Yes, it was nice to meet you, too.”

Curie set her mug in the sink and leaned over, “I will keep him as busy as I can for as long as possible.”

_ “Merci.” _

She bounced away and gave the table a friendly goodbye wave, “Monsieur Charon! Are you available for chaperoning?”

“Yes, Miss Curie.”

“Aw, come on!” Bryan threw his hands up in the air before stomping out the front door, Curie and their chaperone trailing behind.

Nora took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She liked Mac’s friends. She really did. She just didn’t want to think about Nuka World or the uncomfortable talks she was going to have to have or the upcoming meeting or --

“Bye, Mom! We’re gonna go play!”

Nora started and turned to watch the boys running through the foyer. Shaun and Duncan raced out the door before she could even collect herself enough to respond.

“Okay.”

There was a lot of change happening suddenly. It was good change, but it was still new and a little scary. But now she was just home alone with Deacon and Mac. Surely to goodness she’d be able to steady her nerves a bit and --

“So!” Deacon clapped his hands. “Did you tell her about the Brotherhood crap yet?”

Nora turned and stared at Mac’s face. Some kind of complicated expression was there. Anxiety and annoyance and outright dismay. That couldn’t possibly be good.

“What Brotherhood crap?”

Mac sighed heavily and shook his head, “Sweetheart… we need to talk.”


	23. Cracks in the Foundation

Nora felt like her stomach had fallen all the way to her feet. Even with her eyes in her lap, she could feel Deacon and Mac both staring at her from opposite ends of the kitchen table, waiting for some kind of response. But what could she possibly say in the face of something so _absurd?_ The very idea that she’d even entertain the notion of marrying a man like Arthur Maxson was so far removed from reality that she couldn’t begin to wrap her mind around it.

“I’m sorry. I… I don’t know what to say. I…” She looked up at Mac, “I swear I’ve never been with him for more than fifteen minutes total in my life! Any business the Minutemen have with the Brotherhood goes through Paladin Danse! It always has! I haven’t even been to the Prydwen in… forever! We went once, when they first arrived, so I could introduce myself and… and Deacon was there! He can tell you! Nothing happened!”

“Baby, nobody thinks this is your fault.”

“The posters are really everywhere? They’re  _ everywhere _ in the Capitol Wasteland?” Mac nodded and tears filled her eyes. “So your friends already… oh, God, they must think I’m just awful!”

“No, they don't. Honestly, most people just thought the Brotherhood was making it all up.”

“Then… you didn’t believe it?”

“What?”

“When you heard about the posters, you were one of those people who didn’t believe it, weren’t you?”

“Uh… well.” He looked away and shrugged, “I mean, it was a shock at first, you know? But then Curie went and investigated and it was--”

“You had to send _Curie to investigate it!?_ You didn’t… you really thought that I would…” Nora returned to staring at her hands. Her eyes eventually settled on her bare ring finger and she felt very silly for how much she suddenly missed that comforting band of gold.

“I’m sorry. It was stupid of me. Doubting you for even a second was stupid.”

There was an odd sort of unfocused quality to her vision suddenly and she couldn’t seem to calm her breathing. Experience and instinct both said to run away. She stood, “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

“Nora, honey --”

“I’m sorry.”

Mac watched her bolt back into the bedroom and flinched a bit when the door banged shut behind her. “Well… that sucked.”

Deacon took his sunglasses off and rubbed his forehead. “Why, exactly, would you tell her you’d had doubts?”

“Honesty’s important to her.”

“Yeah, except you know what’s a little more important? You having her back.  _ Always.”  _ He glared at him from across the table. “You still don’t seem to understand your place here yet, so let me clue you in.” He held up his hands and wiggled six fingers. “Nora has six pillars that keep her steady. Me, you, Shaun, Hancock, Cait and Curie. Now, she’s already lost Hancock, or she feels like she has anyway. She’d been without you and Curie for months, terrified something bad would happen and you wouldn’t make it back, so she's been, understandably, _struggling._ It's been like watching someone fighting to not drown. Then you _do_ come back, so things should be mostly copacetic again, except you just went and kicked the Mac pillar out from under her and now she's right back in the water!”

“I know my place in her life.”

His voice rose, “Do you? Because you aren’t acting like it.”

“I’m not lying to her. I promised I wouldn’t.”

“You promised you wouldn’t. Jesus freaking… how are you a grown ass man with the mentality of a five year old? She may be all about absolutes but you  _ can’t be. _ Alright? You just can’t. Not with her.” He sighed and put his glasses back on. “You better go clean this shit up. Cause we still have to work out what’s happening at the meeting on Sunday.”

“I don’t think she should even  _ be _ at that meeting.”

He snorted, “Well, go tell her that and see how it works out for you. Just give me fair warning so I can evacuate the town first, m’kay?”

Mac rolled his eyes and got up, “Her temper isn’t even  _ that _ bad.”

“Kiddo, you’ve never actually _seen_ her angry. I hope you never do.”

“Oh, right. Cause she’s so scary. What’s she gonna do? Cry harder? Clean something until she wears a hole in it?”

“Liquidate an entire town full of people.”

He paused before knocking and turned back, “What?”

“Curie never told you what happened at Covenant?”

“She said they cleared it. Something about them being rude and betraying guests?”

Deacon chuckled, “Cleared it… that’s a very nice way of putting it. Almost makes it sound tidy. Kinda makes me wonder if that whole memory actually transferred over. Curie was still a bot when that all went down.”

“So what actually happened?”

He shrugged, “Exactly what I said. She  _ liquidated the town. _ Killed every inhabitant, burned it to the ground and then she had her artillery flatten the place for good measure. If you walked past where it once stood today, you wouldn’t even know it had ever been there. There’s a pond now where the crater was.”

“That doesn’t sound like her.”

“Ya-huh. See, the thing is, Nora has very  _ big _ feelings. You may have noticed. She loves you, and she loves you  _ hard,  _ right? Well, when she hates something or someone, the feeling is just as big. Only she can’t control it as well. There’s nothing good or positive to channel it into, see? It’s not like she can build a house out of anger, right? So she just tries to keep it bottled up, but the bottle’s only so big. When it gets full…” He mimed an explosion with his hands. “Boom. Like a Molotov.”

He’d known she’d told the original Shaun that she’d reduce the Institute to nothing but a crater and a memory, but he’d kind of assumed that was a one time deal. A totally reasonable, understandable one time deal. “How many… outbursts like that has she had?”

“Since I’ve known her? Less than a dozen. She fights it as much as she can, thank God, or we’d all be in trouble. Imagine that mind bent on destruction twenty-four hours a day. There wouldn’t be anything left of the Commonwealth but ash. She’d give scorched earth a whole new meaning. That’s how I know she’s fine when she’s in Nuka World. Because she’s riding the edge of all the bad feelings that place inspires in her the whole time. Honestly, I worry more for the raiders in her wake.”

He honestly couldn’t even imagine that. Someone as gentle and kind as Nora wrecking sustained havoc like that just… did not gel in his mind. Not at all.

Then again, there was that one time he'd watched her sneak right into the middle of a Gunner camp. Watched her pack a bunch of explosives in their pockets. That giant blue fireball that blew both them, and the hotel they were slumming in, sky high. All for one brahmin-herding settler they'd been stupid enough to kidnap. He could still remember the way her cruelly gleeful laughter in the aftermath, so at odds with the woman he'd been following up until then, had chilled him down to the bone.

Deacon watched his face and nodded, “Yeah. So now do you understand why the pillars are so important? Six people to unconditionally support her. Six people to hold her in check. If we aren’t all working in sync and doing our jobs…”

“Yeah. Yeah, I get it.” Sure. It made perfect sense, like the redundant alarms put into fission generators. If even one tiny part of the mechanism wasn’t engaged, the whole thing could blow. “Does she know about your… system?”

“Most of the system doesn’t even know about the system.”

“So no.”

“Nope. Better for everybody that way.”

“Yeah. Sure it is.” He knocked on the door and waited, listening before he remembered it was all soundproofed. Mac cracked it open a little and tried again, “Sweetheart? Can I come in?”

Deacon started laughing behind him, “Man, you are slow on the uptake today. Must be more tired than I thought. She really wore your ass out last night, huh?”

“What?” Mac barely glanced back at him before entering the room. It was completely silent. No sign of her anywhere. Bathroom maybe?

“She’s gone, idiot.”

“What!?” His eyes immediately went to the closet and, sure enough, the door was open. She’d taken the escape tunnel. “Sh-shoot.”

“She said she had to go, right?  _ So she went.” _

“Where?”

“I’m sure I don’t know, Mac. It’s not like I’ve got her tagged like a dog. Sheesh.”

“You…” He thought about it for a second and narrowed his eyes, “That better be true.”

“Maybe try Cait’s? It’s still early, so there won’t be customers, and Nora relies on her for explanations of mysterious male behavior.”

Oh, great. Cause nothing could possibly go wrong with an arrangement like that, right? Sure. “Yeah.”

“I’ll do the rest of the dishes and handle the boyos if they get back before you do. No charge.”

“Thanks.”

Mac wanted, more than anything, to just run down the street to Cait’s. The wave of oppressive, sticky heat that met him as he opened the front door, and the settlers wandering around outside, made him change his mind. Didn’t want to die of heat stroke before he got there and he definitely didn’t want to start a panic.

Instead he nodded and smiled as politely as he could at those who tossed him a wave. Pretended to look over the fields as he passed by. Duncan and Shaun were playing some kind of tag using X6 as base at the playground, and that made a genuine smile finally cross his face. The former courser was as impassive as ever, but he was pretty sure there was something a little more relaxed and casual about him around the boys. Even if he still insisted on wearing that infernal coat everywhere.

The boardwalk was still mostly empty. Its shops hadn’t even opened for the day yet. He stepped inside the bar and was pleasantly surprised when Cait was already at work, going over paperwork in her little office.

Mac tapped on the door frame, “Hey, look who’s up and at ‘em before noon.”

She snorted but didn’t look up, “Hey there yourself, handsome.”

“Mind if I come in?”

“Och, I know that tone.” Cait gave him a wry look and waved him in. “What’d you do now?”

He sat with a heavy sigh, “What I always do. Fu-, uh, mess stuff up.”

“She’s only been back since last night, right?”

“Right.”

“Less than twelve hours then? How do you fuck it all up in less than twelve hours?”

“I dunno.”

“The way you two usually are, I’d have figured you’d be gettin’ a jump start on crankin’ out another kid or four.”

“Yeah, you’d think.”

She finally set her pencil down and leaned back, “Alright, then. Let’s hear it.”

“Uh… well, okay, down in the Capitol Wasteland, for a while now, there’s been these rumors and posters. Propaganda, or whatever. The gist of it being that Nora married Elder Maxson.”

Her eyes went wide with shock. “Nora?  _ Our _ Nora? And Elder Maxson?”

“Yeah.”

She started laughing, “What kinda thick-headed muppet would believe somethin’ like that?!”

“Um, well…”

“Oh. Oh,  _ no. _ No, Mac, ya didn’t.”

“I mean, I… once I calmed down, I figured it must be fake, and Curie basically confirmed it --”

“You sent Curie to confirm it?!”

“I would’ve gone myself but there were complications! It wasn’t safe for me to be seen.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”

“Yeah.”

“And you told the boss all this? Your whole ridiculous thought process?”

“Yeah.”

_ “Why?” _

“She asked. She specifically asked if I’d believed the posters.”

Her sigh was almost identical to the one Deacon had given him, “And so you told her the God’s honest truth.”

“I promised I would. I promised her and myself that I wouldn’t make the same mistakes with her as I did with Lucy.”

“Christ.” She rubbed her temple for a moment like he was already giving her a headache and frowned thoughtfully, “How’d she take it?”

“She got upset. Ran away. Slipped out the escape tunnel.”

“Ah. So she’s pissed then. Good for her.”

“Yeah, it’s great. It’s super great. Look, Deacon said she might come here, but obviously that was a bust, so, do you have any idea where she might’ve gone?”

“Well…” She narrowed her eyes, “Before all this Nuka World business started, I’d have said she’d gone someplace to be useful. Work it all out of her system. Build something or clean a thing that nobody needed cleaning.”

“Yeah.”

“But she’s been… different since she’s been in that place. More unstable. Easier to provoke.” She motioned out the door, “One night, couple of weeks ago, she came in here to talk and some dumbass tried to cozy up to her, right? I mean, she’s pretty. It happens.”

Mac almost felt excited. Having a proper target for some well-earned wrath would be a welcome distraction right now. “Who was it?”

“Oh, who knows? Just some caravan idiot. They all look alike to me. Anyway! It’s not like it was the first time it had ever happened. Usually she just makes an excuse to get away and that’s that. Piper and I have always told her she’s too damn polite about it, but you know, pre-war rules and all in her head. Holds her back from a lot.”

“Sure.”

“Well, that night, just a few days fresh back from her personal hell, there was  _ nothin’ _ holding her back.” The smile she gave him was equal parts proud and concerned. “That poor sod laid his hand on her waist and before any of us could say ‘boo’, she’d put him right through the bloody window. Just… grabbed him and flipped him all around and crash! Straight through it. She did it hard enough that he rolled right into the creek.”

“You’re joking.”

“Nope. Hand to God it happened. Whole place went dead quiet for about two seconds. Then I told everybody we were closed and they bolted. Nora was a mess. Cryin’ and apologizin’. Told me she’d get me a better window. That she was sorry for all the commotion and embarrassment.”

“What embarrassment?”

“Hey, that’s just what I said!” She chuckled, “Deacon showed up about five minutes later and took her away. She was calmed down by the next morning. Came by to apologize again, but she could barely talk to me. Poor girl was so ashamed of what she’d done. Just stared at the floor, stutterin’ and flappin’ her hands everywhere. Even though it’s exactly what I would’ve done, and I told her as much. Got fancy ballistic glass outta the whole affair though, so… if it ever happens again, the idiot’ll just get his skull caved in, I guess.”

“I wish she didn’t have to go to that place.”

“Yeah, me, too. I offered to go with her a few times. Keep the riffraff at bay for her, but she said it’s no place for a lady.” She laughed, “As if  _ she’s _ not a lady! Ridiculous.”

“Deacon said she’s different when she’s the Overboss. That she’s playing a part.”

“Oh, aye. That method acting he’s always goin’ on about.”

“Yeah.”

“You know, she’s spent most of her life playing whatever character she had to tryin’ to fit in to the pre-war world. She’s good at it and all, but I think it hurts her heart. Having to be someone else all the time. She was trying to figure out who she is and how to be herself after you left. It was cute. She was workin’  _ so hard _ at it, tryin’ out new things and asking everybody a million questions. Takin’ notes in her little books and all. Said it was an experiment of self-discovery.”

“The new Nora.”

“Right. Then this whole mess happened and it’s like all that got pushed back. As it stands now, she’s almost as twitchy as she was when I first met her. Back when I thought we might both have a Psycho problem.”

“Yeah.” He sighed, “So if she’s not somewhere in Sanctuary trying to work herself to death, where is she?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say she’s running.”

“Running?” He abruptly stood, “Running where?”

_ “Oh. _ Oh, no. Not like, running away. I mean, _ literally _ running. Apparently that helps make the anger go away? I saw her once comin’ back from Concord all sweaty and gross. She said when she was young and things were hard to handle, she’d tell her harpy of a mum that she was going for a jog, and she’d just run and run until she was too tired to even think about fighting back anymore. That she knew it was that or she’d just get drugged into submission again.”

“It’s already gotta be close to ninety! If she tries running like that in this heat --”

“Yup. So you better get to steppin’, hmm?” She frowned, “And try to stop being such an arse for five minutes. Do you think you could manage that?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I get it. I suck. I’m sorry.”

“Not me you should be apologizing to.”

“I know. Hey, you mind if I grab a couple waters?”

“Sure. I know you’re good for ‘em.”

“Thanks, Cait. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Yes, I know. Now get the hell out of my office so I can get back to work, ya scut.”

“Alright, alright. I’m goin’.”

Mac grabbed four waters in total. Two as agreed upon and two more for the insults. He’d definitely need them. Concord wasn’t that far away but there were already little heat waves rising from the pavement under his boots. He couldn’t imagine anyone running in this, especially not Nora. She wasn’t even that fond of walking.

He was almost halfway there when he caught a glimpse of her. Racing along down the main street. Doing loops, probably. He jogged down the hill and waited behind a weathered tree. If she saw him just waiting, she was liable to bolt in a whole other direction. A few minutes passed and then she reappeared, running right past him without even noticing he was there.

“Nora!”

The effect was instantaneous. She almost stumbled to a stop, looked over her shoulder at him in abject terror and then immediately took off again, faster than before. Like a startled radrabbit. Mac swore under his breath and ran after her. He was pretty sure if this had been a fair race, he’d have never caught her. But as it stood, with her blouse soaked through with sweat and the little flats she’d worn all scuffed and slick, he managed to grab her just outside the Wright’s Inn.

“Baby, stop!” He wrapped his arms around her and planted his feet on either side of hers, trying to force her to stay still while she fought and managed to drag him forward a few more feet.

“Let me go!”

“No, I - I can’t. I’m sorry, but I can’t. It’s too hot to do this. You’re gonna kill yourself.”

“No! Let me go! Stop it!” She tried to pry his hands off her but it wasn’t happening.

Mac accepted the pain of her clawing and scratching at him and grimly held on. “I need you to breathe with me, like last night, okay?”

“Shut up!”

“Come on. Nice and slow.”

“Leave me alone!”

“Nope. I can’t do that. Please, sweetheart. Please cooperate.”

“Don’t you call me sweetheart!”

Nora twisted in his arms, arching her back until his hold broke. Pain suddenly bloomed in his ribs from her elbow. Before he could even react to that, she’d turned the other way, set her foot against his and used her body weight to shove him hard to the pavement. His head bounced off the blacktop and stars burst before his eyes.

_ “Fuck!” _ Mac lay in the street and closed his eyes, trying to take a moment to figure out if he was actually bleeding or not. It kinda hurt to draw a full breath but he was trying to anyway.

“Oh, God.”

He sat up slowly and felt the back of his head. There was already a lump and his hair was sweaty, but there was no blood on his hand when he looked at it. Really his pride was more wounded than anything else. The last time he and Nora had tussled, he’d managed to win. Seemed like somebody had kept at their training a little more than he had.

“Ow.”

“Oh,  _ God, _ Mac, I’m so… I’m…”

He squinted up at her but the sun was resting right behind her head. Made it impossible to see her face. “I’m alright.”

“Why didn’t you just let me go?!”

Well, he might not be able to see her properly but from her tone she sure sounded a lot more angry than remorseful. “Okay, that’s it. Let’s just get something straight right now.” Mac stood and glared at her. “I am never, ever,  _ ever _ going to let you go. Ever. So stop trying to run from me, dammit, or I swear to God the next time this happens, I’m not going to be as nice about it. I’ll just save myself the trouble and shoot you with a Syringer dart or something.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”   


“I…” He sighed, “Okay, maybe I wouldn’t, but don’t think I haven’t ever thought about it!”

“You thought I was married to Arthur Maxson!”

“I know. I know how stupid --”

“Arthur  _ fucking _ Maxson!”

He blinked at her. He couldn’t remember Nora saying a curse word like that in… ever. “I hadn’t seen you in months. I had no way of knowing what was happening back here.”

“He is the  _ last _ person I would ever marry!”

“I know that.”

“I thought  _ we _ were supposed to be getting married! Me and you!”

“Yeah, I --”

“And even  _ if  _ he magically managed to change into a whole different person, I have Shaun! My son is… the Brotherhood would treat him exactly the same way the Institute did. Do you understand that? They wouldn't see him as a child! He’d just be a very dangerous lab rat to them!”

“I know.”

“What, did you think I’d hit my head and completely taken leave of my senses or something?”

“I dunno. I…” A drop of sweat got in his eye and he winced, rubbing it away. “Can we take this inside, please? In the shade? Somewhere we aren’t just standing out in the open waiting for a bullet.”

“Fine.” She stomped into the inn and he followed, grateful for the shade and the ten degrees drop it provided.

Mac waited until she stopped by the check in counter and turned back to face him, “I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry.”

“For which part? For thinking I’d step out on you the second you left or for thinking I’d really marry a man like that?”   


“All of it.” He took out a can of water. “Can you please drink this? I don’t want you to get sick.”

She was still clearly furious but now she was confused, too. “You brought me a water?”

“I brought four, actually.”

“Oh.” Nora reluctantly accepted the can and stared down at it. “Thanks.”

“Yeah.”

“Is… is your head okay?”

“It’s okay.”

“And your ribs?”

“They’re okay, too.”

“Okay… I’m sorry. I wasn't thinking. I was just reacting. I didn't... I'm sorry.”

He shrugged, “Nah, don’t be. I deserved to have my ass kicked a little.”

“No, no, you didn’t.”

“Pretty sure I did. If it wasn’t you, it was probably gonna be Cait or Deacon, so… you kinda saved me, really, if you think about it.”

She glanced up at him then back to the can. “You’re trying to make me feel better.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you… did you really think that I would…” Tears slipped down her cheeks and Mac stepped closer, hugging her tightly.

“Listen, I know how it must have sounded, but I swear it wasn’t about you. It was about me, and…” Mac shrugged and hid his face against her neck, “I know it was stupid. I just kinda… I dunno. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a long, long time. I guess I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop or something.”

“What?”

“Hearing those rumors and whatever… they just made a hell of a lot more sense than the idea of you marrying some jerk like me. He’s powerful and rich and smart --”

“And insufferable and small minded and arrogant.”

“You’ve called me arrogant before.”

“Yeah, but it’s  _ good _ on you.”

He chuckled, “Thanks. Baby, I never doubted you. Not really. I just… doubted my ability to keep someone like you.”

She huffed, “It’s not like I’m trying to get away from you. We’ve talked about this.”

“Well, pardon me for getting confused by the way you so often, you know,  _ run away _ from me.”

“I’m not running from you. I run from myself.”

“Yeah, I know. It always looks a lot like you’re running from me is the thing. From my end. Kinda makes me a little tweaked, I guess.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m a freaking idiot for believing that Maxson crap for even a second.”

“No, you’re not.” Nora sighed and pulled him closer, “It was just… scary, right? I feel like if I saw something like that, I would probably be terrified it was true. And you had no way of knowing for sure. That must have been agony."

"I did have a way of knowing. I had your word that you'd be waiting for me to come home. That should've been enough."

She shook her head, "You’re being too hard on yourself. It hasn't even been a year since we met, Mac."

"So?" God, she sounded so sad when she said it. Was she starting to have regrets about them? Had he already ruined it somehow?

"So I think it's only natural for you to… for  _ us _ to be extra protective of our relationship. That's all."

"Oh."

"I mean, we can say we'll be together forever a million times but we don't have… we just need time, honey. That's all."

"We don't have history. That’s what you’re saying."

"Exactly. But we've got a future. That's what we have to have faith in."

"I have faith in you."

"I have faith in you, too. Trust will come eventually."

"I trust you!"

"I think you  _ want _ to trust me. Just like I want to trust you. But that's something you earn over time. You can't just make it happen because you want it to."

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. If he'd really trusted her, he'd have laughed off those stupid posters, like Cait had. Instead he'd ranted like a lunatic and forced Curie to put herself in danger to satisfy his insecurities. Made her go on a recon mission with the most capricious, obnoxious person in the world.

“I’m sorry.” His arms tightened around her, "Look, part of why the Maxson thing bothered me so much is… I mean, on paper, he’s a lot closer to your level than I am. Like, you’ve both got the armies and you’re both educated and intimidating and tall and… well, you _used_ to both be taller than me…”

“That’s silly… and you intimidated the heck out of me when we first met! Still do sometimes.”

“No, it’s...” He sighed, “People are… when I showed Bryan your picture, he immediately asked me how I managed to trick you into being with me. When Curie told Ben how awesome you are, he asked the same damn thing. I… you’re like some kinda princess and I’m just some cave troll who got lucky.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

“People probably think I drugged you or you’re hypnotized or --”

“Stop it.”

“It’s true though, Nora. It is. And when we’re together, when you look at me, none of it matters because the  _ way _ you look at me makes me feel like I’m the only man in the world. But being away from you made it… made it all seem like a fairytale I’d tricked myself into believing.” He laughed but it sounded bleak, “You say you’re intimidated by me? Well, I’m in a constant state of shock and amazement that you even want to be _near_ a guy like me, let alone… I just… I dunno what I did. I dunno how I did it. I know you told me killing that stupid radroach did it, but…” He sighed and went back to hiding against her shoulder. “Sometimes it feels like I’m in this bubble of happiness and it’s gonna pop any second and then I’m gonna die, baby. I really feel like I will. I… I can’t take losing someone else like…”

“Shhh, stop.”

He scrunched up his face and willed the tears back, “Sorry.”

“I can’t help what other people think or say, honey.”

“I know.”

“But I also can’t help how in love with you I am. That’s not changing. I can’t see it ever changing. No matter who comes along or how impressive they seem on the outside. I’m your girl and that’s forever. Even if I run away sometimes and even if we argue and get mad at each other.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.” She swayed a little, “I think I need to sit down now.”

“Oh, okay.” He let her go and they both sat on the floor, backs against the counter. “You alright?”

“Just a little dizzy. I’ll be fine.” She finally took a drink and closed her eyes. “Thank you for the water.”

“No problem. Thank you for not taking off again.”

Nora laughed a little. “Yeah.” Her eyes opened again, “I’m so tired.”

Mac took a drink of his own water. “Yeah, well… we were up kinda late.”

“No, I mean… it’s more than that.”

He sighed, “I know. I’m sorry you’re stuck in this mess.”

“Not your fault.”

“I shoulda been here. If I’d been here from the jump, I could’ve… I dunno, done something.”

“I don’t think this could have gone down any way other than how it did, honey. Anyway, you had to go get Duncan.”

“Yeah.” He glanced over at her. She looked exhausted. Her eyes were so grim and sad. He hated that. “It’s all gonna be over soon. We’ll get those people out and you can give the park to the Brotherhood and never have to worry about all this crap ever again.”

“Yeah. That'll be a good day.” She frowned at him, “You still aren’t going to the park you know.”

“Nora --”

“No. It’s not happening. I don’t want to talk about it again. It’s never happening.”

He looked away but didn’t argue. Arguing with her over this was useless. She was going to do whatever she damn well wanted to do and there was nothing he could do about it.

Of course, there was nothing she could do about him doing whatever he damn well wanted to do, either, but he wasn’t stupid enough to say it out loud.

His eyes landed on her knees and the scrapes there, “Did you fall down?”

She shrugged, “Yeah. Couple of times. These shoes aren’t exactly made for running, I guess.”

“Deacon’s gonna pout when he sees you messed them all up.”

“I know.” She rested her head back on the counter and wrinkled her nose. “I’m all sweaty and wet. I hate that.”

He chuckled, “Well, I like you sweaty and wet.”

She smiled, “Yeah.”

“Here, lay down. You can put your head on my lap.”

“Thanks.”

He waited for her to get comfortable and set his hand on her forehead, “You’re still burning up. We should wait here for a while and then get you back home. Take a cold shower. You’ll feel better.”

“Okay.”

Mac watched her lift the can to her mouth. “Am I crazy or have you lost weight?”

“What?”

“The little bones in your hands are… your hands just look thinner.”

“Oh. Yeah. I guess I have. I haven’t really been able to eat much lately.”

“Kitten, we talked about this. You were supposed to take care of yourself while I was gone.”

“I know. I tried. It’s just… my tummy hurts all the time.”

“Oh, baby.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry. I’m just worried about you.”

“It’s just a couple more weeks. I can make it.”

“Hmm.”

She closed her eyes again, “I am not looking forward to Sunday though. I was, before. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Dez and Preston. I was so excited to catch up; and now I have to figure out how to deal with Arthur and his… misplaced beliefs.”

Mac laughed, “Yeah… about that…”

“What?”

“Well, first, I  _ will _ be there on Sunday and you can’t tell me I won’t. I’m still the general’s private guard, and you’re going to be the general at the meeting, right? Your safety is  _ my job  _ and you aren’t keeping me from doing my job. Not unless you fire me.”

“I would never fire you!”

“Well, then I’m gonna be there.”

She huffed, “Fine.”

“Second… well, you left before we could tell you the other problem with the Brotherhood.”

“There’s _another_ problem?”

“Yup.”

“Oh, goddammit. What’d they do now?!”

“Well, you remember how you and Jack thought sending the Cabot serum to Duncan would be a great idea?”

“Yes.” Her eyes opened and she stared up at him, “Oh, God. Were there side effects?”

“Uh…”

“I was so worried! After seeing what it did to Deacon, I… I mean, clearly it worked. Duncan’s in excellent health, but… what happened?”

“Let’s just say Bryan feels very vindicated in his decision to always wear a helmet.”

“Oh, no.”

“Yeah. Which, I mean, honestly, it would be kinda funny except Duncan’s first little… tantrum happened in Rivet City.”

“So?”

“So somebody ratted ‘em out. Word got back to the Brotherhood about a five year old nearly putting a grown man through a steel wall and --”

“Oh, God! Poor Bryan!”

“-- they tracked them down to our farm. Demanded the serum. Bry told ‘em they didn’t have it anymore. That it had all been administered already, which it had. So then they decided they wanted Duncan.”

“What?!”

“Yeah. Charon said no to that, obviously, and the fight was on. Bryan doesn’t really know what went down after. He grabbed Duncan and bolted. Ben materialized outta nowhere like he so often does --”

“Ben? Like Benji? Deacon’s Benji?”

“Yeah. He showed up and told Charon to take them to this little secret place he knew of called Rockopolis and then he, uh, handled it, I guess.”

“Handled it?”

“Eliminated the Brotherhood who wouldn’t stand down and, in the process, razed my whole damn farm to the ground.”

“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged, “I mean… it’s not like it was much and we were gonna leave it anyway. I had wanted to get a picture of the house to show you though. I built it. Not that it was very impressive. I’ve never really been a hammer and nails type, but… I dunno…”

“I’m sure it was wonderful.”

“Yeah, well… that’s not the point. The point is, the Brotherhood is still hunting Duncan. When we got there, we had to hide in Rockopolis, too. I couldn’t be seen either because they know I’m Duncan’s dad, so…”

“So that’s why you had to send Curie to investigate the posters.”

“Yeah.”

“Maxson’s hunting Duncan.”

“Well… I mean, Ben took Curie to the Citadel and they hacked into their files or whatever. According to the report they gave Deacon, Maxson never signed off on it. It’s just the science types. It’s their project. As much as I hate to give the guy any credit, I can’t see him authorizing hunting down a kid, so… I highly doubt he even knows about it.”

“You have a far more charitable viewpoint of Arthur Maxson than I do.”

He snorted, “I’m pretty sure that isn’t possible. I hate that guy.”

“No, you just dislike him.  _ I _ hate the guy.” She scowled up at him, “He brought  _ children to a warzone, _ Mac. Purposefully. He tried to have Danse convince me to  _ take them into the field. _ __ For the experience.”

“Sh-shoot. Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“God. Guy’s an as-jerk.”

“Jerk’s too nice for him.”

“Well, I can’t really say what he actually is.”

“No, but I can. The man’s an  _ asshole.” _

Mac laughed, “Thanks. If I can’t say it out loud, hearing it in your cute little voice is almost as good.”

“My voice isn’t cute.”

“It is, too!” He smiled at her angry kitten face. “I about wore out that holotape you gave me, you know. Must have listened to it a thousand times.”

“You did?”

“Yup.”

“Oh.” Her face went pink and she looked away. “Well… I’m glad you liked it.”

“Your singing is beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“I get why it’s hard to do it in front of people, but… anytime you want to around me, I’ll be grateful.”

“It’s not that great.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“I’m pitchy.”

“I don’t know what that means but if it’s something your mother said you were, I’m pretty sure it’s wrong.”

She sighed, “Maybe.”

“M’hmm.”

“I’m not letting them have Duncan.”

“I know.”

“I’ll blow up that damn ship, kids, cats and all, before I let that happen.”

“Well, Deacon has some plan for you to make Maxson agree to leave us alone, so hopefully it won’t come to that.”

“A plan?”

“Yeah, he said something about you pushing a button Maxson didn’t know he had? I don’t know what that means.”

“Oh,  _ God.” _

He watched the revulsion crawl across her face, “You  _ do _ know what that means.”

“Yes.”

“How pissed am I gonna be?”

“Pretty pissed.”

“Great.” He drank the rest of his water just so he could throw the can at the wall. “Well, I’m still coming anyway.”

“You’re gonna have to behave yourself if this is gonna work though.”

“I can behave.”

She tilted her head back to stare at him, “Since when?”

“I can behave if it’s for Duncan, okay?”

“Oh… I almost believe that.” She smiled at his grumbling. “Do you think Charon and Bryan would be okay watching the boys? I can ask Curie to help if they’re not.”

“We’ll just be gone the day, right?”

“Well, I…” She nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment and then shook her head, “No. You’re right. We should come back that night. That’s the responsible thing to do.”

Mac raised his eyebrow, “What was your idea?”

“I just… it’s selfish.”

“Then let’s do it.”

“Oh, don’t you start.”

“What?”

“I don’t need another enabler, Mac. I already have Hancock and Deacon for that… or I had Hancock anyway.”

“Hancock’s fine. Codsworth was right. There’s no way he’s going to stay mad at you. Bake him some cookies or whatever, or I can go talk to him. It’ll be fine.” He thought it over and finally shrugged, “Hell, just go sit on his lap. That’ll probably fix it.”

“I thought you didn’t like me doing stuff like that with other men.”

“Well, I don’t, but… this is Hancock. I trust him.” More than Deacon, anyway, and wasn’t that kind of ridiculous when he really thought about it? Deacon, as far as he knew, lived an admittedly lecherous but overall sexless existence. You would think he’d be the perfect guy for hanging out with the woman you loved, but no. No, he was not.

“I do have this pink dress he really seems to love. Maybe I could wear that.”

“I would.”

She giggled, “You’d wear my pink dress?”

“Heh. Maybe. I dunno. You think it would be good color on me?”

“It’d bring out your eyes.”

Mac snorted, “It was never my eyes that Hancock was interested in. Trust me.”

“Well, to be fair, they weren’t my favorite feature of yours at first either. I was distracted by other stuff.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“What was the other stuff?”

“Um… it was… kinda…”

“Hmm?”

“All of you.”

“All of me?”

“Yeah.” She peeked up at him and then went back to staring out the windows. “That first night I um… well, when I woke up the next morning, and saw you on the couch, I kinda…”

“Kinda what?”

“Kinda… couldn’t stop watching you sleep.”

Mac stared down at her, even if she was absolutely refusing to look anywhere near him at the moment. He’d always assumed he’d been attracted to her way longer than she’d been into him. “You did?”

“Yeah.” Her nose wrinkled, “That’s kinda creepy though, right? I feel like that’s creepy.”

He almost laughed, “No. No, it’s not. Or… I mean, if it is, then I’m a creep, too.”

“You are?”

“Yeah, I uh… well, when I came to bed that night, I kinda watched you sleeping for a while, too.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, I… I didn’t know about your thing either.”

Her fingers tapped on her can thoughtfully, “Mac?”

“Yeah?”

“Was it love at first sight for you and Lucy?”

“Oh… well, I mean, I was too young to even… I honestly don’t remember meeting her. She was always just sorta there.” He sighed, “I didn’t like when other boys would talk to her. I remember that. She used to read to me a lot, before I learned. I hated it when other kids would try to horn in on story time. When I was about eight though, there was this cave-in, right? I almost died. I _would’ve_ died, if she hadn’t been there. When I woke up, her face was the first thing I saw and I asked her to marry me right then and there.” He chuckled, “She thought I was joking or delirious, but I wasn’t. I already knew. So… maybe? Maybe it was love at first sight and I was just too little to know it.”

“Emmy always told me that when love hits you, it’s like lightening. You feel it all over, all at once.”

“I don’t think that’s right.”

“She’s been around a long time, honey.”

“Yeah, and how many times has she actually ever been in love?”

“Oh. I… hmm.” Her head tilted, “Come to think of it, I think there was just that one boy when she was very young. Back before they started taking the serum.”

“Huh. Well, maybe it hits people in different ways. I knew I loved Lucy when I couldn’t imagine life without her. I feel the same way about you, so I know that’s love, too.”

“When I first met Nate, I couldn’t stop watching him. Usually I hate looking at people, but he kept catching me staring.” She finally looked up at him, “I never want to stop watching you, either. Even if sometimes I just can’t.”

Mac smiled at her, “Well, then there you go. For Emogene, it’s like lightening. For me, it’s knowing you can’t live without someone. For you, it’s the person you can’t stop watching.”

“Yeah. That makes sense.”

“M’hmm.”

“If that’s all true, then it must have been love at first sight for me with you.”

“The milkmaid.”

Nora frowned, “What?”

“When we were saving that little milkmaid from Tenpines, the thought of you getting hurt by those stupid raiders made me want to explode. I was so angry that you’d risk your life for some random idiot like that. You told me that even if you died, it didn’t matter. That I would still get paid.”

“I remember.”

“And the second you said it, it felt like somebody had my heart in a vice. I didn’t even want to imagine a world without you in it.” He gave her a lopsided smile, “So… for me, it was absolutely lust at first sight. Love by the time we got to the milkmaid. That was… what, a week? Maybe? So I went from taking four years to realize it, to a week. That’s pretty good.”

“I think it was closer to a month.”

“Still. That’s pretty good for me.”

“That’s true. It's definitely a marked improvement."

“So?”

“So what?”

“So what’s your selfish idea that you had?”

“Oh… I just…” She sighed, “I’m glad your friends are here, and I’m so excited to have Duncan with us now, and Shaun and everybody. I just… I realized this morning that I’m only ever going to have you to myself between the hours of eight and six. Not even that if our friends are over after the boys go to bed. Just ten hours a day and most of that time we kinda have to sleep, so… I just… I was kinda excited to get you all to myself for an evening. The meeting’s at noon and shouldn’t last that long. Deacon will have business with Dez, no doubt, and there’s probably a million things I should focus on at the Castle and with the Institute people down in the basement, but…”

“But?”

“But I was really going to just blow all that off so we could be alone together.” She shook her head. “That’s awful. I’m a terrible leader. I dunno why anybody let’s me be in charge of anything.”

“Let’s do it.”

“Mac, no. We can’t.”

“Sure we can. I know, we’ll compromise.”

“Compromise?”

“Yeah! You can do your meeting. Give Preston a half hour then poke your head in downstairs. We’ll be in your room by two and have the whole afternoon to ourselves. How’s that sound?”

“I dunno that I’ve ever talked to Preston and had it only take a half hour.”

“Well, I’ll stick around to keep an eye on the clock.”

“Okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. If it's you who's doing the insisting, then I can just go along with it, right? No pressure.”

Mac laughed, “Yeah, okay. I get it. I’ll play the part if it means I get you all to myself. No problem.”

Nora sat back up and leaned against his shoulder. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

“You make everything… better.”

He took her hand and kissed her forehead, “You make me better.”

She stared at him before blushing, “We should probably head on back. Now.”

“Why now?”

“I just have a feeling like shenanigans are about to happen if we stay here much longer.”

“Shenanigans?”

“M’hmm.” She stood and tied her hair back into a ponytail to get it off her neck.

“Shenanigans.” Mac thought it over and ran his hand up her leg to rest on her inner thigh. He grinned when she yelped in surprise. “Is that what we’re calling sex now? Is that gonna be our code word when the boys are around?”

She laughed and batted his hand away, “Maybe.”

He stood and laughed, too, before doing his best Codsworth impersonation. “Darling, I’d like to engage in some shenanigans with you. Posthaste.”

“Oh, no! Don’t say it like that! You’re going to ruin it!” She pouted at him and he just laughed harder.

“I can’t ruin it. It’s perfect. Don’t tell Deacon what it means, though. I want to use it around him as much as possible.”

“He’ll figure it out if you do that.”

“Yeah, but he won’t be able to say anything without looking like a creep, so it’ll be hilarious.” He passed her a second can of water for the hike home and she shook her head.

“I almost thought I’d imagined how silly you really are.”

Mac gave her a pout in return and she smiled.

“I’m glad I hadn’t. I missed that, too.”


End file.
